Selective Reporting.

Listening to Radio Four news over the weekend I was very surprised to hear coverage of the Anti Water Charges marches which have taken place here in Ireland, seldom does the BBC cover news relating to Ireland. What made this reporting  even more surprising was the BBC's total lack of reporting on the UK's Anti-austerity march which took place in London back in June. It was something that they must have found hard to ignore given that that march started outside Broadcasting House in London. I just wonder who made that decision or was it a gagging order from No. 10 ? One thing is for sure, if you want real news don't look to the mainline media to deliver.
The weather is now decidedly changeable, warm sunshine followed by heavy rain, but so far no frosts, we are still getting ripe tomatoes from the tunnel, this is the latest we have ever picked them and that is including when we lived in Spain.

The cauliflowers and calabrese are giving far better heads now than the summer grown ones, and the Roses continue to bloom alongside

White foxgloves with Rose Campion in the background. 

Foxgloves an early summer flower ,and Rose Campion a midsummer plant, also blooming are Chrysanthemums and Nasturtiums.

Fresh from the garden.

Three seasons flowers all rolled into one.

Little by little it's getting there.

A little more headway has been made on the straw bale project, more grass turf has been added to the roof but any hope of finishing it this year has now gone, we can probably lime wash it but the pargetting will have to wait for warmer weather again as lime putty requires 60f to go off, still we will be able to use the building once we have decided what we are using it for.
Wednesday is supposed to be D day for the front porch to be completed but as we were told that it was ready last week we won't hold our breath, I just hope the double glazer doesn't upset the builder with yet another change of date.
As Autumn slowly moves towards winter the seed catalogues begin to arrive, I will be resisting ordering new varieties, seldom are they truly an improvement and we have saved a lot of our own seeds this year including tomato seeds, I might get tempted to try another variety of first early potatoes though, not that there is anything wrong with the ones we have grown for the past three years except we can't remember what variety they are.

Upper Lough  Macnean.

A day trip out to Enniskillen gave us a chance to explore the area around Marble Arch caves, one day we will go into the caves but on this particular day there was a coach load of children visiting.

It is a very beautiful area, with lots of lakes and an interesting geology,

time seems to have stood still around here with a landscape changed only by farming. A day out is never complete without a picnic so I made some

Spanakopita, (spinach and feta cheese pasties) to take for the picnic plus a couple slices of Dorset Spiced Apple cake,

Plenty of holly berries for the birds.

we prefer to take food with us and find a nice spot with views and the sound of silence rather than visit what normally turns out to be a mediocre café where other customers feel they have to share their 'phone conversations with everyone around them.