Night scented stock.

A jar of cucumber relish and a jar of salty pickles.

The fields have been cut and following the footpaths is easy. The grass on the distant field of the country park has been cut in a striated pattern. A glorious autumn day.

Mrs Silk and her three chicks roam free in their outdoor enclosure every day. Mum is a fierce protector and an excellent teacher.

The chick, near the house, is growing fast which makes us think he is a male. Time will tell. It’s time for him to start eating corn and I gave him and mum a handful this morning.

Patty pans, courgettes, Tromboncinos, spring onions, Bedfordshire champion onions, cucumbers, cooking apples, eating apples, rhubarb, runner beans. Gifts to go to London tomorrow.

Their mother has “gone broody” again.

We tried to resist but she sat on the hen house day after day. We have now moved her to the chicken ark where she is sitting on five assorted brown eggs.

At the back of the house, just by one of the wild bird feeders that we fill with sunflower seeds, three sunflowers have grown and are close to flowering.

The little ram lamb is so pretty. I caught him feeding from his mother this afternoon even though he is so grown up. There’s nothing like mothers milk.