As Autumn Ends ...

... it's a time to celebrate the harvest, to carve Jack-o-Lanterns for Halloween and to enjoy the fireworks on Bonfire Night.

We recently visited the Autumn Harvest event at RHS Wisley.

There was apple tasting and freshly pressed apple juice to try.

Lots of prettily displayed seeds.

In the gardens the grasses were the star performers.

Miscanthus sinensis "Ferner Osten"

Inside the glasshouse was a display of Nerines.

Nerine "Berlioz"

Nerine "Lavandu"

There were still some apples on the trees in the orchard.

"Splendour"

Hunt's Duke of Gloucester, not looking too pretty!

"Winter Banana"

and lots of autumn colour to be seen on the trees.

A local National Trust property, The Vyne was also celebrating harvest time.  The pumpkins were lined up ready for Halloween.

 and there was a bird of prey display in front of the house.

 I think this falcon spotted us! :)

 Ferruginous Hawk

 Siberian Eagle Owl

 Harris Hawks

 Gyr X Saker Falcon

 Lanner Falcon

 Kestrel

 Sunda Scops Owl

 Gyr Falcon

 Great Grey Owl

 American Kestrel

Back home I harvested our sweet potatoes.  A few strangely shaped! :)

I carved our large pumpkin for Halloween.

With the flesh I made curried pumpkin and coconut soup for our supper.

The Vyne also celebrated Halloween, someone had had a lot of fun decorating the rooms on the ground floor! 

Our village actually celebrated Bonfire Night early this year, on 25th October!  At the time it seemed strange to be having fireworks before Halloween.

It was a fabulous display and the clear mild night was perfect.

In fact I'm rather glad it was held early as 5th November was the coldest night so far this autumn and this morning I woke up to a garden that had been visited by Jack Frost.