Our first frost of the season

We woke on Monday to our first frost of the season. This is a bit of a pity, because the zucchini plants are still producing a zillion tiny zucchinis. They seem to have survived, just - but there won't be many more fruits.

We have picked (and eaten) all the pears.  We ended up with quite a big bowl full and they were extremely tasty. We also have loads and loads of grapes on the grapevine. They too are very tasty and much sweeter this year than last.  There is chard growing in the vegetable garden, but then that's pretty much all that's left. There are beetroots, leeks and some various brassicas growing on the allotment.  There are also tomato plants still doing their best in the greenhouse up there. They continue to flower and to produce tomatoes, despite the fact that we picked the main crop some weeks ago.  We'll leave them for the time being and see what they do.

So all in all, and despite all the signs back in the spring, we've done well for fruit and veg this year. The freezer is packed to the brim and all our produce was tasty and mostly disease free.  We shall start preparing and planning for next season shortly.

We are doing quite well for eggs at the moment.  Curry is laying absolutely every day, and Udon is laying three or four times a week.  We are a bit puzzled by Dimsim and Gyoza, though.  We would have expected them to have started laying by now and they haven't. They don't even really look ready to lay. Dimsim's comb is beginning to fill out, but Gyoza's is still quite small. I am beginning to think that they weren't the 11 or 12 weeks we were told they were when we bought them.  We are not expecting duck eggs, however.  Terriyaki  and Hoi Sin are both clearly males - so no eggs from them :-D  It is fortunate for them that they are very cute so we aren't minded to get rid of them.  In any case, Indian Runner Ducks have pretty much no meat on them, so we couldn't eat them even if we did despatch them.  Although I suppose I could make a duck broth with them!  We shall get some more ducks in the spring and see if we can get a couple of girls in with them.  We will also buy a duck bath or two.  We considered putting in a pond, but then discovered that you can buy duck baths.  Much cheaper to buy, and much easier to maintain!  The other alternative, of course, is to let them roam free in the garden during the days and they can swim in the pond that we already have, up by the house.

I wonder if it could be moved ...