Tag Archives: bounty

The blessings of hot weather. Yes, there are some…

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Joanna realises the hot weather brings blessings too…

August is a time of blessings and bounty. Mostly.

Yes, I know that the lack of rain—about half of England is officially in drought—has reduced crops dramatically, but the sunshine has helped crops, too.

Hereford, where I live, is very much an agricultural county. As I drive around I can see that the crops have already been harvested. The yield will be lower, I assume, but, on the benefit side, the farmers will not have to spend lots of money to dry the grain as they usually do. It’s already bone dry.

One of this hot summer’s blessings? Continue reading →

Autumn 2025 : bounty against clear blue skies

Joanna has been struck by autumn’s bounty, glowing against blue skies

leafless crab apple with bounty of fruit

image by joanna maitland

This week, following the horrors of Storm Claudia (which caused severe flooding in nearby Monmouth) we’ve had cloudless blue skies here in Herefordshire. And the bounty of autumn has been glowing as a result. So, yes, I took pics. Like this one.

It strikes me every time I drive past it. It’s a crab apple tree laden with bright red fruit. And totally leafless like the huge tree standing behind it.
Bounty, indeed.

But not everything is leafless. Below is an image of the hardy white fuchsia in my kitchen garden. It’s still covered in blooms, as you can see, and determined to keep going until the frost gets it.

Which might be soon, sadly, as it’s currently very cold and there’s a lot of frost around.

white fuchsia autumn bounty

fuchsia image by joanna maitland

Bounty? Well, it’s a mast year

You’ve probably already heard a great deal about how 2025 is going to be a mast year with huge amounts of fruit, nuts and seeds. But just in case it’s passed you by… Continue reading →