That tree had it coming!

Just one trunk left standing ...

Finally, a year after I first decided that the elder at the bottom of the garden needed cutting back, it has finally happened!!!!  The obliging husband of a friend showed it who was boss.  The tree has three trunks, and one of them had died.  The trunks were quite tall, and I was worried that the winds would blow down the dead one and cause grief with the neighbours ....

All this wood needs stacking!

See that lonely trunk?  Just in front of the gap between the houses?

Now the dead trunk is down, and one of the live ones cut back, and there is just one lonely smallish thinnish trunk still standing - we ran out of space to store the wood, and also kind of had enough.  I am hoping that the elder will develop a bushy growth habit, so I can cut it back myself every year, and harvest the berries - when they grow high up I can't reach them.  And since the elderberry port project was an unexpected success I really do need access to elderberries!

It will be a huge effort to get rid of the wood, but I have plans!  I shall build a stack at the bottom of the garden, next to the compost heap, and the gaps between the wood I shall fill with soil, and plant them with little ferns and such like.  Well, that is if I get my act together.  More likely the whole structure will be smothered by ivy ....  watch this space!  But I am not tackling the wood for another two weeks, that way if can grow a bit drier and less aggressive.  Plus I have other things to do!

Weird or what?

I made another batch of quince jelly, doing it - for the first time ever - as described in cook books.  Usually I just let the cooked quinces drip through a sieve, and prod and push them a bit, to get more of the juice.  But this time I actually purchased and used a jellybag.  Not sure whether the result is better, since I am giving this batch away for Christmas presents - that should nip any unseasonable criticisms in the bud!

Sunday I had breakfast as per usual with A, and afterwards took a few desultory photos of the Bodleyan - always a good subject for a few photos!  We had beautiful weather on both Saturday and Sunday.  Today was very foggy, and the bus took rather longer than usual.