October Trees and Flint

At this time of the year as the colours change you can see all the different trees across the field.

The industrial fencing is around land that will eventually be new housing, a sign says 'Launching Autumn 2026' but there is no sign of work starting yet. Locally there are two sites of new housing where the builders have gone bankrupt and houses remain unsold and unfinished and one new site at the other end of the village where builders have just started.

The Ash tree below has lost it's leaves already, I wouldn't be surprised  if it is on it's way out with Ash Tree dieback disease.

Further up the lane this Ash still hangs on to all it's leaves, against a very grey sky.

We don't have granite, sandstone, limestone or any other rock in Suffolk but plenty of flint and this huge piece, over a foot across, must have been ploughed out of the field recently as it was laying on a field edge and I've not seen it there before. It would be a lovely piece to keep - except it's too heavy to move!

Best Before End Dates

 A few weeks ago I mentioned the tins of carrots tucked away at the back of the cupboard that had a Best Before End Date of 2024, I can't find the post now but I know several people leapt up to say that BBE dates are only advisory about quality (yes I know!). Then I found the Lindt chocolate rabbits at the boot sale also past BBE but perfectly fine with enough sugar in to preserve for a very long time and the coffee which was years out of date mentioned ages ago.

It's a good thing I don't take any notice of BBE dates.

The tinned carrots and the Lindt bunnies were all perfectly good as I knew they would be. 

After 'finding' the tins of carrots I also 'found' 2 tins of potatoes, a small tin of ham and two cans of mandarins in syrup, all several years past BBE.  (I say 'found' because I knew they were there, just not how long they'd been there!) 

I'm eating my way through them .

I've just realised that with the mandarins  being dated BBE January 2021 they were bought before I moved here and therefore must have been in storage when I moved between holiday lets. Good grief!

Squash

 Not the sort played in a four walled box, with a hard bouncy ball. I went to watch someone play once - vicious and much too energetic!

My squash are 5 Butternut and I only had one plant - they obviously really loved the heat. There are 3 others too but they're not ready yet and probably won't be suitable for keeping.

It's a good thing that as long as they are kept dry they'll last ages until I can use them all.