Start of Leaf Season!!

As I was walking through the trees in front of the big house I stood on a piece of uneven ground and when  I looked down I realized that in actual fact it was one of the first horse-chestnuts of the year. Indeed it should not be surprising as I always remember as a schoolboy having a weekend off quite early in the winter term nd my father bringing down the first conkers from Eriska so that I had ammunition for the inevitable games. Nowadays however the first conkers actually also signal the start of the seemingly endless task of raking leaves.

This year Chay has had a bright idea of buying a leaf collector which will fit onto the trailer and can be used to save the back breaking task of loading the trailer with damp leaves. We tend to collect and compost the leaves and then reuse them in the garden the next year but last year we opted , due to much dryer conditions to urn the leaves and consequently our mulching bins are empty and in need of refilling. By all accounts that is going to happen pretty quickly as the high winds today and predicted equinoctial gales have accelerated the already steady stream of tumbling leaves leaving the collection at full speed and the task to keep ahead of the game more of a challenge than usual.