Merde Alors

It's always with a certain sadness that I say goodbye to the summer; the sunny days, the warm evenings and the easy outdoor-living, all those things that give way to the colder, darker time ahead. But there is delights to be had in this season as well. Even though the work in the garden is all but finished, there's still few things to be done to prepare for the winter.

Le potager is finished now, bar the few last tomatoes in the green house, that are slowly trying to ripen before being brought indoors. But as the garden has been emptied of veggies, I can start preparing it for the winter and for the next year.

Enter, La Merde! Young Master from the neighbouring farm very kindly brought us some cow muck, le fumier, to fertilize the soil, ready for the plants next year. So hip hip hooray, some more physical work before the year is out, and hopefully that might sort out my sore back as well. Don't they say that exercise is the best medicine in these situations. Surtout ne reste pas dans le lit!
We'll see what happens.

And here it is, the black gold, all laid out where it will be most useful. I tried to do the permaculture-thing by laying out manure, sticks, straw, grass, leaves and kitchen waste in layers, and let it do its thing over the winter. Hopefully by next spring it has turned into a splendid growing medium for my new plants and seeds. The previous occupant had done marvellous job with the soil and we tried to investigate what exactly had done into the ground and mimic that.
Whatever it will be, it can't be bad. The big pile of garden waste, sticks and grass tufts we left just next to the veggie beds over the summer (being to lazy to drag it into the first terrace where the 'official' compost is), has already turned into a beautiful, dark compost, ready to be added into the garden.

I took the car to fetch ten big bags and couple of big containers full of leaves from the nearby forest, and spread them on to the veggie beds with some sticks on the top as weight against the wind. Now I can start dreaming about the next summer's bounty! The gardener's work is never finished.

The next natural move was to put my feet up and have a well deserved glass of rosehip syrup with tonic in front of the fire, listening to the wind and rain outside. Could we not just fast forward to the bit where it's snowing? Or even better, when it is sunny and warm again? If I was an animal, I would surely be a bear, hibernating all through the winter in my cosy, warm den. Well, I suppose this is not so bad. I do love candles and fire, and snuggling up on the sofa to read after a day in the garden.