I've done it!

Yesterday dawned, if not exactly sunny, dry and reasonably bright.  And cold, very cold, with a strong easterly wind.  I decided towards the end of the morning that the grass had dried sifficiently for me to push the mower over it.  So, for the first time since June and for the last time (probably) till next April, I cut the grass.  I also managed to pick a few raspberries.  We have lost quite a lot over the last three weeks or so because of the rain and these, I suspect, indeed I am certain, will be the last this year.  I must now cut the canes down - as well as severely pruning the Montana clematis, trimming the hedge, cutting back the ivy invading from next door and the branches of their trees overhanging our garden etc etc.  With a bit of luck and some reasonable weather, I would like to spend an hour a day in the garden getting it back into shape.  The trouble is that for every hour I spend pruning, dead-heading the lavender, digging weeds out of the vegetable plot, I have to spend another hour hauling the detritus to the tip.

There was another job I wanted to do yesterday - in the garden but not exactly gardening.  One of the hinges on the gate to the vegetable plot has broken.  Both the hinges are those T hinges which never last all that long out of doors.  They rust up and should, I suppose, be oiled to keep them working.  Anyway, while we were in France I made a trip to Mr Bricolage and bought a pair of the hinges the French use on their shutters, rather like the one in the picture.  These never seem to rust.  The intention was that after I had walked the dog in the afternoon, I would get out the electric drill and a long extension lead - holes would have to be drilled through the gate to take bolts fixing the hinge in place.  I took Fern down into Stanmer Park for a walk, hoping to get some autumn pictures.  As I got into place for a rather attractive shot of the church tower poking up from autumn foliage, the sky clouded over.  Later, as I turned to go back to the car, the rain started.  That hinge didn't get replaced.

This morning I pulled back the bedroom curtains and saw the sun was shining on the Downs.  By the time I had eaten breakfast and started out with the dog, it was damping.  No doubt by the time I am ready to go into the garden the forecast will have come true and it will be raining properly.  The hinge will just have to wait.

Reverting briefly to yesterday's post before the picture of the day, I have discovered that the gender neutral honorific is Mx.  Don't ask me how it's pronounced.

And so, today's picture.  This is what I saw when I opened the bedroom curtains a few days ago.