An hour of the northern lights

It's that time of year again when my phone pings when the chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis is high. Saturday evening was quite action packed for an hour and then the photos started to appear so out in the garden I went. Not visible to the eye only on phone pics. It seemed to increase and then vanish and I caught it just right. Hope this night sky action continues throughout the winter.

Not a bad pic to say we live in quite a built up, well lit area.

Tom was fishing in Cambridge and he captured this stunning pic xx

It's fungus time !

 

Shaggy Inkcaps

Magpie Inkcaps - we only find these in a tiny corner of a local wood and they have usually well and truly gone over by the time we go as they seem to only last a day. Perfect timing this year !

Fly Agaric just coming up but the ground is still far too dry for fungus......we need rain please !

and a big ginger cat keeping guard !

Baird's Sandpiper, Lincs

 A couple of short videos I took today on my phone of the sandpiper. Hope you enjoy them !

Baird's Sandpiper, Lincs (in a very strong wind!)

It was blowing a gale on the reservoir top, almost impossible to look through binoculars. The waders were getting blown about as the strong wind blew making massive waves and covering them in spray. We also had a glaring sun to contend with.  With the Baird's were a few ringed plover and dunlin. We hoped it would stay, which luckily it did as the following day was even more windy so we headed back on Sunday and hoped it was still there. It was and I will post the pics later. 

Camera catch-up

 

Stonechat

Took our Tom's van to Grimsby for a service and walked down the River Freshney to pass the morning. Well impressed with the community allotment we passed, lots of hard work gone in there, well done, looks fantastic. Stopped for a half hour sit and a flask of coffee. Wasn't long before we saw a rat, then another, then another......flipping heck, and right next to houses !

Our little cat Pixi, likes to watch the comings and goings !

This was a pike's head at Toft Reservoir. Massive...as big as a a football ! That was some fish

The view from Marshlands Hide at Blacktoft Sands

Little Stint, Marshlands, Blacktoft Sands

We haven't been to Johnsons of Gainsborough for a while so decided on a chippy tea before the nights draw in. This as as good as it looked.....flipping delicious as always ! 

The River Humber from East Halton

Garden frogs.....we have many tucked away in the cold frame and behind planters

Curlew

Brambling

It was a birthday in our house and Tom always buys his dad whisky, always unusual ones and he says that this one is very nice indeed !

A few buzzards

 

That's it from the garden for this year

 

We have had stones and stones of tomatoes this year, the best harvest ever. Not sure what's happening here....soup or passata but whatever it was, it was delicious !

We now have not only 2 huge freezers full of veg but a cupboard full of this delicious passata and a dozen jars of garden chutney !

Peppers ripening, so sweet and tasty

Every day for the past 4 months we have had fresh tomatoes.  We live in northern Britain and to have fresh tomatoes every single day is some going. Most days it is eggs and tomatoes for breakfast, so tasty unlike shop bought that are absolutely tasteless and cost a fortune. 

Some as big as tennis balls !

And of course, home made tomato soup with fresh cream, bread and butter. Flipping delicious !

A basket of chillies and peppers. The chillies were a bit much for us to be honest. I froze loads chopped up and mixed with chopped tomatoes and them frozen in ice cube trays. Easy to just pop one in your cooking when you need a bit of zing.  But we did give most of them away. This is a smittering of what we grew.....

Can't beat a garden bunch of flowers. These dahlias were stunning this year and I bought the tubers from The Range, 3 for £5. Will certainly be buying more next year. 

All the veg we grew has been sensational, never had so much to harvest ever and this us just one tray......we had many !

A few bags ready for the freezer with a chilli in each bag to add a bit of oomph !

The harvest is nearly done for this year, apart from the stones of potatoes still to come. One large bed now has winter onions and garlic already growing in it. There is no rest for a gardener !