Under the Spreading Walnut Tree

The walnuts are falling from the trees here.  I've been told that the fresh, green husks give a better dye than older husks, so I've been collecting them from the children's backyard:

Rambo, one of the many cats around the house, kept a close watch over the process:

It's a messy job: the inside of the husks are wet and full of grubs.  The husks stain my hands, a sign that they'll give good colour:

Rambo decided that the whole thing was quite boring, so he returned to his staring match with the Rottweiler next door: