September is drawing to a close, as is the summer. We've been enjoying an unexpected few days of blue skies and early autumn sunshine, which is a late delight.

The summer of 2011 was, apparently, one of the coolest for around 20 years. It didn't feel that way to me here in Wyke, but perhaps that's because I'm not used to the local climate. Having spent most of the summer here in Dorset, I thought we'd had a decent amount of sunshine and warmth.

I've neglected both this blog and, to a reasonable extent, the garden over the summer.

The big change outdoors has been the felling of one of that line of leylandii which created a grey-green wall along the eastern boundary. It is a particularly ugly wall when viewed from the neighbour's side.

I decided to take down a tree half way long the garden. Those nearest the house provide a useful screen which I don't want to lose just yet. Further down other bushes have sprung up beside the leylandii, so while their removal creates more space and light, it does not give away too much privacy.

Over the next couple of week another one will come down. I have already begun to thin it.

Outside the front of the house the huge Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) has come into flower. It's huge, well over 2m high.