Poets and afternoon light

This mornings post brought a nice surprise. The BlueGate 2010 anthology. www.bluegatepoets.com http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1626178

Autumn has been true to form, and a wet grey yesterday becomes a honeyed golden today. The marigolds are still giving their all despite the earlier frosts, I find myself wondering how long they'll keep going. Of course the flowers are edible so I should be harvesting them.

'The yellow leaves of the floures are dried and kept throughout Dutchland against Winter, to put into broths, in Physicall potions, and for divers other purposes, in such quantity, that in some Grocers or Spice-sellers houses are to  be found barrels filled with them, and retailed by the penny more or lesse, insomuch that no broths are well made without dried Marigolds'. John Gerard's Historie of Plants c1636 

On days like this when I'm working in the shed I can let the girls have the run of the garden, and trust that foxy won't come visiting when I'm here. They love to get out foraging and roam around happily cluck-clucking to themselves. 

Our hedgerows are festooned with berries. And when I approached the drunken hedge, flocks of small birds flew off from feasting on sloes, thankfully I've already picked plenty for sloe gin which will be ready in a few weeks time. 

  Through the garden gate to my shed . . . .