[jambop]

Who else hates the start of this cold wet weather for the next three months? ! The autumn has arrived now in SW France and with it comes lots of wet weather I have been busy making up raised beds for my Dowding no dig adventures and have some garlic coming away in one and leeks in anotherbut the rest of the garden is a cold and soggy waterlogged mess. The cabbage,cauliflower and Broccoli are growing but require snorkel's ... roll on March 

[Growster...]

Yup, same here, Jambop.

At least you have Beaujolais Day to look forward to, we just have loads of fireworks which send the dog mad!

I always make up jobs for this time of year, and have just done one - sharpened all my drill bits! Sad really...

[juvenal]

Same scene here in Dorset. A soggy, boggy wilderness with only the scant pleasure of dredging the shed
gutters to remove handfuls of wet leaves. Water butts overflowing, trees dripping, weeds thriving and the resident birds absent, probably cowering somewhere.

The highlight on our allotments is a bonfire tomorrow night. Plotholders have been delivering timber to the firesite for weeks. Tons of it. Where's it all come from? Has the government just threatened to jail anyone caught with raised beds?  I swear someone has demolished a large barn and shipped it in.

Our mighty bonfire has now had five days of rain to soak it to the core. It's going to take dynamite and aviation fuel to get even a spark out of it. I foresee some dismal gathering featuring a few forlorn sparklers, possibly ending in mass carnage as the petrol fumes ignite...

The bribe of a free hot dog to get us to turn up is looking like less of a deal by the hour...

Dark days indeed...

[jambop]

One thing I had started on was cutting down a large parasol pine which had been blocking out  a lot of my garden until mid day which was affecting the growth of the plants. I felled it and had almost got rid of the top growth ... then the rains arrived not done anything for four days of constant wind and rain. Has made a huge difference to the light though I did have a few nice sunny days while I worked on it and the light gets onto the ground a good bit quicker without that tree. I don't like cutting down trees but it had to go at 10m high it was just too big.

[Goosegirl]

Normally it doesn't bother me but I have to say Thurnham Moss is not looking its best at the moment. Most of the farm fields are rather wet and boggy as is my garden. I have a lawn that hasn't been cut for over a month, leaves all over the place, the goose and hen pen looks like a quagmire and weeds thriving everywhere so it's not the best time to sell one's house.   

[Dev]

I understand where you are coming from, but it's not a question of hate - it's a question of preference. I much prefer spring when everything is starting off - but I do like the autumnal colours and the change from salads to casseroles. The drop of rum in the coffee flask and the sight of geese flying south for the winter [wishing I was going with them]. It makes spring so much more welcome.

[jambop]

I hear what you are saying Dev... but when you get the sort of rain we get down here in the autumn I find little to like about it. I reckon we have had about 200mm over the last four days... and we are going to get a lot more over the next two weeks and god knows how much more over the winter. My garden is now a swimming pool 

[JacsH]

Nooo, love this time of year. Currently sunny, cold and bright - just right for spreading compost. Tomatoes still ripening in the tunnel and autumn raspberries fruiting nicely. When it turns dark, all too early, inside, log fire, planting notebook and seed catalogues to browse. Much much better than February!

[rowlandwells]

started to refurbish our  poly tunnel new cover and door frames but come to a standstill rain stopped play can't take the cover off till we get some better weather so decided to lay a  slab path round the tunnel got started mixed up some concrete to lay slabs then it started raining

managed to lay some slabs  between the rain to use up the concrete mix fingers crossed we mite get a dry day between now and spring so I can finish the poly tunnel 

still plenty to do down the allotments if we get a dry day still have beetroot to lift and raised beds  with some late tates to dig can't even think about using the tractor down the allotments with no cab alright on warm summer days not the best thing when its pouring it down of rain and that's not counting the mud I would bring out on the road

never mind someone has decorating in mind what a lovely thought bring on the spring

[al78]

I'm not liking the weather at the moment. Once we got to the Autumn equinox the weather just flipped into rain rain rain, which is depressing when you know you have five grotty cold dark months stretching ahead of you (otherwise known as winter). It is doubly tedious as I have bought materials to build a greenhouse base, but can't make progress as every weekend it is rain rain rain rain rain, we only get the (very) occasional dry day during the week when I am at work. I just hope this anti-office worker weather regime isn't set in for the whole winter. 

[Plot 1 Problems]

I agree al78, normally I like this time of year but the near constant rain has put the brakes on any Autumn projects this year. I'm just hoping for a dry end to November and December.

[jambop]

I used to live in Scotland so I have an idea about rain... but I have never seen rain such as we get down here! Last night it rain very heavily and is still raining now. It is depressing looking at the forecast... which say the same again for at least the next two weeks. So my garden soil is under water and will not be workable for weeks if we get a good three week dry spell, which is very unlikely at this time of year so who knows when any ground work will get done.
Fortunately I do have some other stuff that could be done during any lulls in the weather. I have some fences that need repaired and a tree trunk that needs cut up. I also need to put a new cover over my poly tunnel and I am going to make some plastic sheet cloches for my raised beds. However a lot of that needs dry weather as well so it could take a while