Cotoneaster

Fall is when the cotonéaster (cotoneaster) produces its vivid red berries. This plant belongs to one of our neighbors. Each fall, when I see the berries, I think that I'd like one of these in our yard, but then I forget about it. The result is that we still don't have one.

I think cotoneaster is related to the pyracantha, a similar shrub I remember from our California days.

We do have a tamarisk tree. It was planted by the previous owners. The problem with that tree is its location. Like many trees in our yard, it blocks views of other trees and shrubs. I think many things in our yard were planted when they were very small. They may have looked nice then, but it doesn't seem as though any thought was given to how big they'd grow, the huge shadows they'd cast, and the views they'd block. Two christmas trees (one of which we had removed in our first year here) are prime examples.

This morning, with the tamarisk cut down, you can see the rounded-off bay laurel from the house.

At any rate, the tamarisk is planted right in front of the bay laurel, essentially hiding it from view. You can see it in the back corner of the yard if you look at the photo in yesterday's post. Over the years I've cut it back to the stump, but it continues to re-sprout and grow. It's a hardy little bugger. Yesterday, I took the chainsaw out to cut it down again. Now I've got to clean up all the debris.

It's that time of year

Our hedges got their annual trim yesterday. The crew of three arrived around eight in the morning and got started. One guy trims the sides of the hedges while standing on the ground. Another guy uses a scaffold to trim the tops of the hedges. A third guy rakes up the trimmings and loads them into their truck to haul away.

This is the longest section of our hedge. It wraps around the yard in the back.

They did the majority of the work in the morning. At noon, they had finished all the hedge work in the back yard before they knocked off for lunch, returning around one-thirty to do the shorter hedge in front. They had a nice, sunny day for the work. And now everything is neat and trim!

If you've been a long-time reader of this blog, you might remember that I used to do this trimming myself, taking a week or more, teetering on a ladder to do the tops. One year I injured my back trimming some thick branches on top, reaching too far and too much with the heavy trimmer. I realized that (a) I really didn't have the proper equipment for the job and (b) I was just getting too old to do this kind of work myself. Besides, the hedges always look better when the professionals do it and I don't have to rake up and dispose of all the trimmings.

Black radish salad

Les radis noirs (black radishes) are unusual looking produce. The thick, black root vegetable doesn't look particularly appetizing, but it is very tasty. It resembles a daikon radish, but with a thick black skin. I saw this simple recipe for a black radish salad on a television cooking show many years ago and we make it a couple of times a year.

I didn't think to take a picture of the radish before I peeled and sliced it. Here's the finished dish.

First, I peel the radish and slice it into very thin rounds using a mandoline, then arrange the slices on a small plate. Next, I sprinkle sherry vinegar over the radish slices along with some salt and pepper. I use a vegetable peeler to cut thin slices of mimolette cheese, an orange-colored hard cheese from northern France, similar (except for the color) to an Edam cheese from the Netherlands farther north. I place the cheese slices on top of the radish and drizzle some olive oil on top. Finally, the salad is topped with fresh cerfeuil (chervil) leaves (I just happen to have some growing in the garden). We ate this salad as a first course for yesterday's lunch. Yum!

Abandoned

These grapes grow in a parcel that has been abandoned for years, since before we arrived more than fourteen years ago. The weeds and small trees are growing up around them, but they still produce grapes. The grapes go unpicked and are either nibbled by the wildlife or they rot.

Abandoned grapes (and a few raisins) on the vine.

This morning is chilly and the heat came on. I can see my breath outside when I take the dog out. Of course, we are in the "brrrr" months. Septembrrrr, Octobrrrr, Novembrrrr, and Decembrrrr. I kid. The real cold months are January and February.

Tasha Tuesday

After a week off, Tasha Tuesday is back. We are still happy about how Bert and Tasha get along. They mess around, but the upshot is that Tasha does not chase Bert out of the house. He gets to spend a lot more time indoors than he ever has. Most of that time is sleeping time. As cats do.

Tasha and Bert hanging out on the deck. She's bigger than him now.

I think it will be interesting this winter. We still don't let Bert inside over night, but he has a good sleeping spot in the utility room, so he's not outdoors in the cold of winter. I'm sure he'd like to be indoors, but he also is a hunter in the wee hours, so letting him in and out is not something I want to do.

A little kiss between siblings.

Also, we don't have a litter box. He does his business outdoors, and I don't want that to change. So I want him to be able to come in and out at his convenience, and that means he spends his nights inside the utility room, and not in the house. But he has a warm and fuzzy place to curl up, so we don't worry too much.

Outside the gate

A section of the vineyard parcel just outside our back gate has its fall color on. More and more leaves are changing and I hope to get some good shots in the weeks to come. That all depends on the weather, of course, because I don't take the camera out in the rain.

Looking back toward our yard.

When I took these photos, I used a strong strip of velcro to attach Tasha's leash to one of my belt loops, leaving my hands free for the camera. It worked pretty well, but I'm afraid that one good tug might rip my belt loop, and she did tug a time or two. Now I'm thinking that I should wear an old belt and wrap the velcro around that.

The new 'cue

As promised, here's a photo of the new barbecue grill. It took a couple of hours to assemble, but it was not too difficult. The price was very reasonable, probably because it's the end of the season. Or maybe it was because I also looked at Weber grills, which cost about as much as a new car these days.

Three main burners and another on the side (which probably won't get much use).

On Friday, I grilled a nice steak for lunch. The new grill gets hotter faster than the previous one. The steak was done medium-rare and was delicious, but I realize that I have to adjust my cooking methods on the new grill. That won't take too long. I don't know how many more bbq days we have left this season, but I hope there will be a few more. By the end of the month I'll have to cover the grill and put it away for the winter.

The control panel, for those interested in how such things are said in French. Click on the image to enlarge.