Our autumn garden is starting to get that jaded look.
In saying that, it is still doing a fine job of attracting monarch butterflies.
And it is still feeding us … we are munching on the sweetest corn and as I planted more dwarf and runner beans I’m picking those daily too. There are chillies and capsicum and a variety of ‘heaven only knows what they are’ … self seeded cucurbits.
These purple kings have seen better days, but they did feed us over summer.
… and the sunflowers are still trying to show their happy faces
Did I tell you that we have a rooster? His name is Jack, a good looking lavender Sussex who desperately needs to crow and ‘man up a bit’ the old chooks are giving him a rough time!
Having a bad hair day
Our pet sheep Poppy
Quinces in the afternoon sun
And the finished product … which tastes divine
You all know I love the beach ..
and taking home the seaweed
Dan is also a beach fan
and Eric just loves looking handsome
Happy gardening!
Pretty impressive photography. Looks amazing. Quince jelly ?! Haven’t had that since mum made it when I was a kid. Yum! Miss you. Xxxxclaire
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks Claire 😄 Next time I’m over, I’ll bring you a jar! Serious yum .. Miss you too xx
There’s still magic in the photos taken around Frog Pond farm even if autumn has jaded the garden somewhat. And as always, your furry and feathered friends made me smile. 🙂
Thanks Joanne .. always good to see you at our place 😄
Lovely writing and photos. All the wonderful produce from your farm… looks so fresh and healthy! Enjoy the Autumn season , Julie. 😃 🌹
Hey Iris thank you so much! Always nice to know that you stopped by 😃
Autumn is there… Beautiful photographs, I really love your farm and also your amazing land. You captured so beautiful photographs, especially Jack, Dan, Eric, Poppy, they are all so lovely. But you know I am crazy with all cats, big and small 🙂 The seaweed so interesting for me I haven’t seen like that before, otherwise I know of course. Dear Julie, I love your photographs and news from your farm. and I really miss to hear you. Thank you so much, have a nice Autumn days, Love, nia
Oh Nia what a delightful comment. Thank you so much for your kind encouraging words. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed your visit to Frog Pond Farm .. it’s lovely being able to share our place with you. hugs
Beautiful photography, Julie. These glimpses of Middle Earth never disappoint. I doubt the Garden of Eden will ever wither.
Official labels for your jellies? I’ll have to look harder in stores now.
Mr Draco as always great to see you at Frog Pond (Garden of Eden ;)) Glad you enjoyed the pics. No that jelly isn’t sold – happy to send you a jar though 😀
Your garden is beautiful every season and the light is beautiful and soft. Your jams must be delicious. Today, I made spring jam with dandelion flowers (this is the first time I try …)
Oh thank you! I think it is beautiful too. And yes the light is so lovely at this time of year. The jelly is divine with cheese and biscuits. Gosh dandelion jam, how wonderful. Love to hear how it tastes 😀
My, my, Jack is a good looking guy! And that quince jelly is mighty good looking too. 😉
Jack is a good looking lad – he just needs to toughen up a wee bit. He copped a good whack on the head the other day from one of the girls drawing blood. Shame on them .. That quince jelly is just divine piled on cheese – very yum!
Would it be wrong to tell him gently that soft roosters go very well with quince jelly?
Great photos and updates, as always. You have Monarchs in New Zealand!! Where do they go during your winter?
Thank you so much and as always, thanks to Google … The monarchs in NZ don’t seem to migrate like the monarchs in the US. But they overwinter (those born in autumn) in milder coastal areas.
Hi to you both. Julie just so lovely 😊 photos. Your quince jelly looks so appetising, and we’ll done with the labels. You thought you might have a cockerel in that last lot. He needs to man up with the ladies!, well we have a good spell of sunshine this weekend. But it’s getting colder next week,so to soon to plant 🌱 out yet. Lots of love ❤️ to you both. Bill.
Hello Bill! And thank you, so pleased you enjoyed the photos. Yes Jack needs to ‘man up’ – he copped a belt on the head the other day and then ended up with a nasty swelling. A day of confinement, bathing with salt water and loads of good tucker did the trick. That quince jelly is amazing .. making more today as it happens 😀 I have decided that from now on I’m planting later … certainly for the summer crop. Amazing that we are enjoying beans yet again! Hope you have some beautiful weather for the weekend. Love right back at you
Beans again can you plant them earlier . So that by the time I arrive you will have eaten them All! Only kidding . I see Marie has replied to you ,good to see some of my family and friends replying . You will have to get a sound track of a cockerel crowing and play it to Jack . All for now lots love ❤️ to you both. Bill xxx
Your photography always makes me go WOW! The Monarch Butterfly is a huge win…your photo actually shows the little hairs on it’s body. I always love seeing what is going on with your land…and my (your) trip to the beach is really a treat for me…I’m very landlocked here in the high mountain desert. Love your fur and feather kids they make farming so worthwhile.
Hello lovely Linda! And thank you so much 😀 I took that shot with my telephoto lens. The colours were just magic that day. Won’t be long now and the trees will be nude .. mind you, I love hearing the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot. I can’t imagine being landlocked, but you have those wonderful mountains to gaze at. Oh yes, the fur and feather friends make it all worthwhile. Hugs
Really enjoy your posts that Bill sends on to me. It is six months yesterday since we lost our cat so the animals look adorable. At our age (Jimmy is 81 and I will be 79 in December) it would be unfair to get another one. Anyway she is irreplaceable. Your photos are so beautiful. Lots of love, Marie.
A big hello to you Marie! So nice to hear from you. So sorry to hear about your kitty .. they leave such a void. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the photos .. we are so lucky to live here! Lots of love to you .. Julie
Julie, Would you mind sharing your quince jelly with me. We have a quince tree and I don’t know when to harvest and what to do with them when we do harvest. The tree is in the corner of our garden and we trimmed it drastically a couple weeks ago before it started budding out. Now I’m hopeing the frost doesn’t hurt it or my other fruit. Our peach tree beside the yard is full of bloom and supposed to drop below freezing tonight. I’m so glad that it’s the only thing blooming right now.
Oh this is so typical of me. I can’t find the recipe I used last time, whoops! – but essentially it was quince, water and sugar. There are so many wonderful recipes on line – some use lemons or scented geranium leaves (I haven’t done the latter before). I didn’t even bookmark the last recipe! Oh dear me. In terms of harvest though, it is ideal if you can leave the fruit on the tree until it is a yellow colour. We had to pick ours early this season as they were getting munched on by the wildlife. So the majority of them are / have been ripening indoors. But like most fruit, they develop more flavour on the tree. Again Mr Google will help you with harvest times .. Good luck looking forward to hearing how you go 😀
Gotta say my friend, Im loving your photos and seeing all that FPF has to offer.
A beaituful time of year!
Poor Jack 😀
Gorgeous light on the quince and fabulous colour of the jelly. I can smell it from here. Sniffff! Divine.
❤❤🍒😀🍁
Hey Robyn … hello! And thank you Miss glad you are loving those photos. FPF does have lots to offer – I haven’t even really ventured into the forest here with my camera either! Yep poor Jack .. the old girls are being tough on the lad. He needs to toughen up. I think once he starts crowing that will put the wind up the chooks! LOL … I loved that light on the quinces too. Was perfect! Sure is a nice jelly – making more today!
Always lots to explore Jules and the animals add the Footrots Flats twist.
Looks like a wonderful harvest as we spring into action here perhaps you can soon take a bit of a rest but only when all the quince has been preserved. Here membrillo is made from the quince and eaten with cheese. Lots of sugar or same proportion as the quince. Good to catch up with your news.
Oh yes you are springing into action! I’m thinking about poaching some quinces which are divine, then popped into a fruit crumble dessert. Membrillo? Is that a paste? I adore cheese and it is divine with crab apple jelly too 😀 Thanks for stopping by …
Membrillo is quince and sugar heated up together and makes quite a thick party jam. Southern Portuguese and Spanish friends seem to see it as only to be eaten with cheese.
Sounds very yummy …
Beautiful photos from your autumn, Julie! I especially love the chooks, Dan and Eric! The scene from the beach with the surreal sky is a favorite, too. Such a beautiful place you live!
gorgeous 🙂
Thank you!
Even with you season winding down, it certainly looks like it was a bountiful year. Hope Jack finds his way soon, he is awfully pretty to be picked on. 😀
Hi Karen … whoops missed your message. The garden is still feeding us .. just! But time for me to get in the winter crops. I sure hope that Jack starts crowing soon .. that hopefully will stop those girls in their tracks! 😀
Julie, that shot of the beach is AMAZING! What a capture. Those clouds and the way you framed and angled the entire scene is magical! To even think you are going into Fall when we are just heading into Spring is a bit much for me to even wrap my head around. I hope to give you a lift in your bleak Winter months with my “color”. Great post and congrats on Jack! <3
Hey Miss .. so pleased you like that image. I was so surprised when I saw it in the viewfinder … Please do share your spring and summer colours – your flowers are always gorgeous. Thanks so much for your visit and lovely comment Amy 😀 .
Miss Julie your photos are truly amazing. All the shots if the animals capture their personalities. I think jack will be quite bossy when he settles in and the girls stop picking on him.
Your quinces are very early. Ours are still ripening. Mr Bonner Senior’s work in those jars?
Beautiful shots of beaches and butterflies. All so moody and evocative.
Jack is one out of the bag .. he does things no other rooster has ever done here. Jumps up on the ledge where I keep the feed bucket after treats .. eats before the girls, instead of being a gentleman. No wonder he gets picked on .. lol. Glad you enjoyed the pics.. We had to pick the quinces way early as the wildlife were loving them ..and I made the jelly! Woohoo
Julie, such fine clear Jelly. I wish I could pop over for toast and quince jelly, or even better some scones?
Me too! Scones yum ..
Lovely photos and report. The jelly looks good. Do you want to trade? My seeds are ready, just waiting for some nice weather to get the cool weather veggies in. Dan looks happy along with all your other creatures. It looks like a beautiful time of year in your part of the world. Take care. Bob
Would love to trade Bob! Can only imagine how good that chilli sauce of yours is. I have to get my seedlings organised for winter planting too … the summer garden is just hanging in there. Dan sure is happy, something to do with the beach walks every morning. It is a beautiful time of year .. the trees are slowly dropping their leaves. I have to get stuck in to some fruit tree pruning! 😀
Your definition of “jaded” must be different than mine because I get a sense of “fullness” and “abundance” from these photos. All through a lens of absolute clarity. Jack is a handsome dude! I’m sure in time he’ll be everything a rooster should be. And hello! Poppy!! Uplifting photos, Julie!
Hey Janet .. thank you! The garden is slowly shutting down. Jack is a fine young rooster – he just needs to toughen up a bit! I’ll send Poppy your best 😉
You’re marching into autumn and we’re tiptoeing into summer. Of course, today is more like spring, though. We’re getting ready to take a ride to try to find and old mining camp in the desert called Ballarat. I have no idea where that name comes from. But I just wanted to stop by and tell you every time I see your garden I want one of our own. My wife says we shouldn’t bother as we plan on traveling much more this year and might not be around to enjoy one. But, like Jack, maybe I should “man up” and just do it! And your photography is great, too. Dan and Eric are gorgeous! 🙂
Ah Ballarat! There is an old gold mining town in Australia also called Ballarat .. I love our garden, but it is a commitment that’s for sure. Thanks Emilio .. so pleased that you enjoyed the photos. Those furry friends sure are gorgeous! Thanks for stopping by …
A bit disappointed in Ballarat. We’ve come across more exciting places just by blindly driving in the desert or along Route 66. But ballarat here was named for the town there. “George Riggins, a young immigrant from Australia, gave Ballarat its name when he proposed it should be named for Ballarat, Victoria, in the heart of Australia’s gold country.” (Wikipedia)
Even in autumn your light is still fantastic. We’re bursting into flower over here as spring arrives – I think spring and autumn are my favourite seasons. There’s so much promise in spring and I like the faded glory of autumn.
Hey Anne … I bet you are bursting into flower! How lovely … and yes, I’m with you Autumn and Spring are stars in the garden. The faded glory of autumn … so true. The trees are holding onto their leaves this year ..
Beautiful images, Julie, which illustrate this time of year so well. You know I’d always recognize your pics, they’ve written Julie all over them. So autumn for you and spring frenzy for us – let’s make the most of it. I love quince jelly by the way 🙂
I loved your comment my pics have Julie written all over them. Isn’t it funny how we develop a style. I feel the same way about yours Annette. Autumn and spring – two fabulous seasons. Enjoy! … The quince jelly isn’t bad either 😀
Everybody develops a unique way of seeing and looking at things and I find that very interesting. Keep up the good work 🙂
Gorgeous impressions, once again, Julie. What a pity you are not around the corner … I’d love to help out, taking care of Dan, take him for walks and make sure he get his daily dose of additional cuddles. <3 <3 <3
Oh I wish you lived around the corner. We could go for walks on the beach with the pooch and our cameras! Heaven … I’ll give him a cuddle for you 🙂
Gorgeous photos Julie, spring is bursting here but autumn looks just fine where you are 🙂
Hey Andrea … thank you. Autumn is just fine! You enjoy that spring … 😀
That blue in the sky is one of the colors I am always trying to get, it just happens at a certain hour, with a certain temperature I think. Jack seems like a fighter in his eyes (not related to cockfight that I don’t follow) Wonderful colors, Julie, lovely Autumn for you ^_^/
Hello Francis … can I say it again. I so miss you in the blogging world! Yes you are right .. certain hours and temps and seasons give such different colours. Jack needs to quickly ‘man up’ the girls are giving him such a hard time. Glad you enjoyed the post Francis … I always enjoy your visits!
Thank you, dear Julie. ^_^
Beautiful photos as usual Jules!!! I hope I can get to see your amazing place one day. So good to talk to you and can’t wait to catch up in July!! xxx
Oh wow .. thank you Virg! Lovely to yak to you, and can’t wait to see you in the UK! Hugs
Julie, it looks as if you need a Canon 1DX II too. All these fast moving objects… from butterflies to cats and dogs, not to mention the sheep. Fantastic images. Now an obvious question: if you have a farm and if you have a farm shop, do you sell products? This jelly looks tempting. Otherwise I’ll have to stick to the image of it. Smiles. Reinhold
Hey Reinhold .. thank you! Glad you like the images. No we don’t have a farm shop – all the homemade goodies are for us and friends 🙂 That jelly is so good, I have been eating it on hotcross buns! Now if you lived closer, I’d drop a jar in! How I would love that camera … LOL
Beautiful captures as always Julie! I really love the butterfly picture! 🙂
Hey Josephine .. thank you! I love that pic too .. the colours were amazing that day. I was so surprised when I saw the pic in the viewfinder. Have a lovely weekend Miss 😀
Thank you Julie – I wish you a beautiful weekend as well! 🙂
Totally beautiful. ❤
Thank you! 😀
Seaweed? Wow. Looks more like a bizarre cable!! The yellow part at the end – the root, I assume?
No that sure is seaweed! But now you mention it! LOL … Off to grab some this weekend. My garden will love it!
Delicious looking quince jelly! What variety of quince do you have?
It tastes pretty good too! We have both .. but this is made from our Turkish variety. Thanks for stopping by 😃
You have some lovely views. It’s kind of sad to watch the fading of fall.
Thank you! Autumn is my favourite season .. and the weather lately has been lovely 😀
Wow, isn’t he lovely, Jack, the rooster?! Wether he could handle my rooster Caruso? 😉
I love autumn, the colours are great these months…but we have spring and after some really frosty days I’m looking forward to warmer and sunny days! <3
Jack is a great lad! I love the name Caruso … you must pop up a pic of him 🙂 Autumn is my favourite time of year .. love the colours and the light. Wishing you warmer sunny days. Thanks for stopping by …
<3
Never tried quince jelly, but it looks yum! And the beach looks inviting! 🙂
Quince jelly is divine piled on cheese (any cheese 🙂 ) Glad you enjoyed the pic of the beach. Great to see you here!
Looks like a gorgeous life!
thank you! I think so … 😀
Ah, your photos, Julie — they are always so gorgeous. Every one a treat. And speaking of treats…. throw some of that quince jelly over here, please. I love quince jelly.
Happy autumn!
Hey Cynthia … I’m glad you think they are gorgeous, thank you! It is divine quince jelly, I have been indulging in rather a lot of it lately. Wish you lived near by, I’d whizz a jar over 😀 Happy spring Miss
Julie as always you offer such lush and inviting photos of where you live, even if the garden is heading into sleep mode. The Quince Jelly looks and sounds delicious.
Hello, so good to see you here! I have been missing you in the blogging world. I think it’s lush because it rains a lot 😀 … Sleep mode sounds about right though, the trees are in the throes of losing those leaves. Love quince jelly, wonderful smothered on cheese ..
Your pictures are always so great! Thank you and I wish you a wonderful month of May!
Thank you so much! And a wonderful May to you also 🙂
It also still strikes me as strange to hear about monarch butterflies in New Zealand. The interesting article at
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/504-new-zealand-butterfly-origins
says: “The monarch butterfly is originally from North America. The monarch made its way here using island stopovers and prevailing wind currents.”
I knew it was originally from North America .. it must have had lots of island stopovers Steve. Thanks for the link 😀
Ah, lucky you! Autumn!
Only a few more weeks to go now Rajiv, we are zooming into winter .. the weather has already started to change.
Let’s switch places…. You come to Delhi…
Hi Julie- I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been here (in your cosmic world) am back to April! Regular blogging is not making my priority list at this time but I’m sure loving visiting here again – (I’m getting notifications on my iPhone of you liking my comments and getting a kick that somehow we are on the same wavelength in this moment. Funny life!!! cheers x wt
Gorgeous you .. I know exactly what you mean! So good to see you at Frog Pond, I have missed you! Cheers x