This morning I gathered in the last of the tomatoes that have been growing - largely neglected it has to be said - at the bottom of my garden. The bowl shows those gathered over around three weeks, as the glorious September sunshine ripened more than I could readily eat, and will hopefully help to the green ones added today.

I also conducted the annual test of the 'buddleia indestructibility hypothesis' that claims you can prune them really hard and they will grow back even bigger next year... it has always worked thus far, but presumably one year it won't... time will tell.  And then there was the 'pruning the landlady's rose bush without killing it' challenge... last year this not only succeeded, but led to greater flowering, but next year... again, time will tell.

Many, many years ago I preached on John 15 (the vine image) and idea that fruitful branches are pruned hard in order that they might flourish in another season.  Today I've been reminded of my own sermon, of the reality that pruning is risky, and harvests not guaranteed... but somewhere in it all the gardener-cum-vinedresser is active, whether to gather late ripening fruit, to hack off 'runners' and 'suckers', to prune the branches, pull up weeds, (all things I did this morning) and in it all to name the hope that another year will bring new, beautiful and fruitful growth .