Fall bonanza in Grey County

It's a sunny, though cool day. Only 5C when we got up at 7:00a.m. to feed cats. Yikes. It is supposed to warm up to 22C, so that's a good thing for the clothes I'm putting on the line.

lt's been a whirlwind week at the farmette and elsewhere. I decided to go backwards through the week. So, starting with yesterday afternoon, sister Sandy and I went to Brightside Equestrian Centre to watch Rachel put George through his paces. George is her youngest buckskin. Only three and a bit years old, but doing very well. She put him in the Greenhorn competition, where he had to navigate a course, going backwards and forwards, sideways and over obstacles. He also had to stand very still a couple of times while she picked and put down cups. The weather was perfect for horses, riders and spectators like us.

Yesterday morning, Sandy and I went to the Durham fall fair, where I found out I won some prizes!!! I decided at the last minute on Thursday to enter some of my flowers and potatoes, so only managed five entries. I stunned myself by picking up a first, three seconds and a third for the stuff I grew. (Okay, Rob was responsible for the spuds and chose the hydrangea that got the first.) I was chuffed. The financial rewards are pretty tiny. It's a wee fair, after all, so I donated the princely sum of about $10 back to the fair folks. I've also decided to volunteer to help out at next year's fair.

Earlier in the week, we started harvesting in earnest. The plum tree we planted about eight years ago finally yielded hundreds of the tiny fruit. I gave away a bunch of it, and made plum chutney out of the rest. I overdid the fresh ginger, but it actually made it better, I think. We tested it out with a pork tenderloin and with roast chicken, and it was a lovely addition to both dishes.

Tart with a bit of sweetness and the colour and texture are gorgeous.

We also harvested our first homegrown sweet corn. The previous owner said it wasn't worth growing here. But I tried it this year, anyway. Glad I did. It was delicious and there's more to come.

This is starting to sound too braggy for me. So I'll stop. I'm just so excited to be able to enjoy the haul from my gardens and beds at this time of year. Until next week.

Gratuitous cat photo courtesy of Wilma, who looks a little startled since I woke her from her morning nap. Gotta love the mustache.