10.11.39

Very fine, sunny, still weather. Dug the first trench of the new patch, planted shallots (not quite enough to make up the first 2 rows), transplanted 3 rambler rose cuttings, 1 albertine, 1 of the yellowy-white kind, the other I don’t know what kind. Made up path as far as trellis. Titley says in storing dahlia bulbs the important this is to suspend them for a while stalk downwards, as the reason they rot is that the moisture runs down the hole in the stalk into the roots. Bought some more apples (Blenheims) still 1¹/₂lb. T. says he’s getting 4/6 score for eggs.

9 eggs.

9.11.39

Sunny & still. Everything still seems very wet, but evidently there was no rain last night. Made up some more of the path. Unable to do much else, as the wheelbarrow is about at its last & I was trying to repair it.

5 eggs.

8.11.39

Dry, windy, sunny, not cold. Many goldfinches about. Took the remaining nettles, or most of them, out of the new patch. Put in 2 more stakes for blackberries. Limed another patch. Added 1 sack dead leaves. [Total on facing page: 4¹/₂.]

6 eggs. Sold 20 @ 4/4.

7.11.39

Rather wet, too much so to do much out of doors: considerable rain this evening. Planted first row of currants (ie. 6 red, 5 black). Have started using chaff instead of straw for nesting-boxes. Do not know whether it will prove to be too expensive, but should be easier to clean out & to rot down.

6 eggs.

There was a nest of field mice at the roots of one of the currant bushes, & they came running out, 5 in all, as I levered the plant up. Fatter & lighter coloured that the house-mouse, with a long tail (I had always had an idea they had short ones) & rather slow-moving, with a sort of hopping movement, though they all managed to get away from me.

6.11.39

Evidently it rained very heavily during last night. Today windy, a few showers but most of the day sunny. Transplanted the peonies. They are said not to stand this well, but they had withered back & I took a good ball of soil with each. Planted the little rambler cutting, the one that was in a pot. This has rooted will but is of course a very tiny plant. Dug & manured a trench to plant the first lot of currants, but don’t like to plant them till the ground is a little less sodden. Limed another small patch of ground. Forgot to mention that one of the gooseberry bushes I moved yesterday had layered itself. Evidently they do this spontaneously sometimes.

5 eggs.

5.11.39

Some wind in the morning, then nice sunny weather. Ground has dried up somewhat. In the evening violent wind & a few drops of rain. The wind actually blew the roof off the small henhouse. Enormous flocks of starlings, some tens of thousands at a time, going over with a noise that sounds like heavy rain. The leaves are mostly down now. Elder leaves just coming down. As I remember it the elms are being stripped much earlier this year than most.

Transplanted the gooseberry bushes. Trust I haven’t damaged them. One or two still had green or greenish leaves, & others were so deep in the ground I had to damage their roots considerably getting them up. The soil there (this end of the garden) is in places pure clay at only 1 foot below the surface. Dug some of this out & lightened the ground as well as possible with sand & turf-mould. Then limed the ground between the bushes & dug in, also pruned the bushes a little. Hope this wind will not blow them all loose again. Added another sack of leaves. [Total on facing page: 3¹/₂.]

9 eggs (probably some of these laid yesterday). Sold 30 @ 4/- a score.

4.11.39

Damp, but not raining to any great extent. Finished digging the ground for shallots (still very sodden & will need several fine days to dry it), manured the rhubarb, began clearing the new patch of thistles etc. Saw the white owl in the daytime. Very beautiful toadstools in the field now, pale bluey-green, slender stalk of same colour, mauve gills, the whole toadstool coated with a sort of limey stuff. Added another ¹/₂ sack of dead leaves to heap.

5 eggs. Total this week 33 (Mrs A. obviously underfed them).

3.11.39

Have been away since last Sunday (28th), only returning this evening. Everything is extremely sodden. Planted a few more crocus bulbs & took up dahlia roots, which may be worth keeping. In this time the hens have apparently laid only 28 eggs, less than 5 a day. Had not noted before leaving on Sunday sold 1 score @ 4/-.

28.10.39

Frost again last night (not so hard as before). All today raining almost continuously. Impossible to do anything out of doors. One double egg today.

6 eggs. Total this week 41.

27.10.39

I think there must have been a slight frost again last night. Today about midday heavy rumbling sound which may have been either thunder or gunfire, & soon afterwards heavy sleety rain. More showers in the afternoon. Ground is very soggy again. Could not do much out of doors owing to the rain. Dug a little patch for the shallots.

6 eggs.