AS we come towards the end of the year, looking back, what a range of weather we have had, writes Hazel Wedlake.

A hot and dry spring resulting in good pollination and heavy crops of berries and fruit. A warm autumn prolonging flowering, a dull and showery September and in November substantial flooding as Storm Claudia passed by. The water running off the fields normally runs through a pipe under our road, but excessive rain causes it to overflow in an impressive torrent that floods the road, runs into the orchard and also roars with great turbulence out of the pipe into a then five foot high churning brook. It comes up to but not over a little footbridge, so the dog could still go out with supervision to get her nightly apple.

At last the cosmos flowered which had been just foliage all summer until November when it had enough water perhaps to produce an abundance of blooms. It was nice to see what I think was a tree bumble bee with its rust coloured furry “rucksack” and white rear, making the most of the late nectar. Earlier I had been pleased to see a humming bird hawk moth feeding on the tubular flowers of the hardy salvia which flowered all summer. I tried to photograph the moth as it fed, its wings beating at a tremendous speed. However, not having read the instructions fully on my new camera (surprise, surprise) the shutter wasn’t quick enough to capture it clearly. Just a blur! Why do we always read the instructions as a last resort, especially now, when they have to be downloaded?

The robin oversaw us bagging up last year’s leaf mold, ready to refill the bunker, and was duly rewarded when he found the odd worm as the earth base was revealed.

The dog made an interesting find in the fields, and came back triumphantly with a pair of deer antlers! Small, branched and the base, moss covered, I think they belonged to some animal long deceased. Back in the kitchen, I thought I should make use of the bountiful harvest of fruit and vegetables - beetroot having had a good year.

I am told they germinate better than other vegetables in dry conditions, so I had a good crop compared to the marble size I have had in the past.

I made beetroot and ginger chutney and my husband was keen to try it once it had matured after six weeks. However, he was surprised at the rather sweet taste and even more so at the rather chewy strip of vegetable?

The old labels I used had fallen off and we realised it to be to some over-cooked marmalade I made a couple of years ago! Texture and taste explained. Bowls full of green tomatoes ripened in the windowsill, but green tomato chutney was also made and hopefully there will be no surprises there!