Celebrating retirement from the school year with a midweek jaunt to Grasmere and catching that wonderful low golden September sunlight between showers, trees awash with glittering raindrops, listening to Bob Dylan (from a nearby building site) and a woodpecker.
That sounds lovely Lia. Do you know Alan Jenkins book Morning? This week for me, some sorting and clearing in the house, bringing a wonderful sense of calm - clothes to the charity shop, new boots to replace the ones that I‘ve never liked and have always been uncomfortable, burning the last of the brightly coloured candles I bought for the summer and stocking up on ones in beautiful autumn colours from the shop down the road that has been here since I arrived as a student here in Sheffield 41 years ago.
Our local park's "friends of" group organised a bat walk - huddling around with other people in the dark, gazing up at a gorgeously clear evening sky and watching pipistrelles flutter and dive over our heads felt very end-of-summer. Plus I wore my big leather boots for the first time since last winter.
When I get up early I love it but is so hard to do. It’s been cold but mostly sunny here and very autumnal. Earlier than most years. I notice the difference in clothing. Some people in woolly hats and others still in shorts and tea shirts!
I am the same Hilary! Always been a night owl rather than an early bird and mornings are not my thing, but whenever I have got up early on a non-work day, I've always loved it and vowed to try harder to do it more!
Loving the golden morning light on Charentaise stone in our little corner of rural France. The birds are busy again, gathering, feeding, resting on wires making travel plans. I am knee deep in logs to be cut and branches we trimmed last Autumn now ready to be snipped into burnable lengths as we ponder whether it is ‘more layers’ or ‘light the fire’. There’s a nip in the air.
Watching the squirrels, hedgehogs and various birds in the garden; i've enjoyed three early mornings going to work in the dark, watching the beautiful starlit pre-dawn skies and seeing Orion and his astronomical companions, a reminder that winter is soon to come. Baking maple syrup and hazlenut cookies.
What do I wear? it's freezing when I get up (first tinge of frost this morning) and then the sun comes out and by afternoon I am roasting in that big jumper, only to need it again as soon as the sun goes down.
Fuchsia and Japanese anemones flowering madly.
Slug battle over courgettes not going well, the slugs are eating them faster than they can grow now.
A look behind the scenes at the nature reserve, walking and talking with the wardens, discussing Autumn plans for managing the biodiversity and ecosystems of the reserve to ensure nature can thrive. Admiring the first of our winter visitors 🍂
Urging my tomatoes all strange breeds to ripen , whilst the rustle of a brown paper bag where they are slipped in to nestle with a banana calls for their final red blush to be encouraged . It’s that time of year where garden spiders wrap us in cobwebs as we saunter in the garden watching seeds go over and gathering those of calendula & sweet cicely . Foraging harvesting walking & lighting fires there is a rare beauty in the Wheel of the Year as it changes our habits & runs us into The Autumn Solstice 🔥🌿🌱🍃
Deadheading the last of the summer bedding plants to try and stretch them out a little more, dark evenings means jigsaws are out and candles are lit. I’m doing the usual thing of summer is over, start thinking about Christmas - I need to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the autumn.
Yes! I found an empty conker case on the bench in our garden, guessing it was a squirrel, wracking my brains as to where the horse-chestnut tree is. It looks like there has been a lot of bird and squirrel activity by the state of the bench.
Celebrating retirement from the school year with a midweek jaunt to Grasmere and catching that wonderful low golden September sunlight between showers, trees awash with glittering raindrops, listening to Bob Dylan (from a nearby building site) and a woodpecker.
That sounds lovely Lia. Do you know Alan Jenkins book Morning? This week for me, some sorting and clearing in the house, bringing a wonderful sense of calm - clothes to the charity shop, new boots to replace the ones that I‘ve never liked and have always been uncomfortable, burning the last of the brightly coloured candles I bought for the summer and stocking up on ones in beautiful autumn colours from the shop down the road that has been here since I arrived as a student here in Sheffield 41 years ago.
Our local park's "friends of" group organised a bat walk - huddling around with other people in the dark, gazing up at a gorgeously clear evening sky and watching pipistrelles flutter and dive over our heads felt very end-of-summer. Plus I wore my big leather boots for the first time since last winter.
When I get up early I love it but is so hard to do. It’s been cold but mostly sunny here and very autumnal. Earlier than most years. I notice the difference in clothing. Some people in woolly hats and others still in shorts and tea shirts!
I am the same Hilary! Always been a night owl rather than an early bird and mornings are not my thing, but whenever I have got up early on a non-work day, I've always loved it and vowed to try harder to do it more!
The heart hurt of dropping our youngest to begin university, and the quiet of the empty nest.
Oh gosh Wendy, love to you x
So tough. Letting go is so hard. ❤️
Gosh. This takes me back. All I can say is enjoy the freedom, the youngsters will be doing just that so you must do the same!
Hope you are feeling ok Wendy, I’m sure they’ll soon be back with a bag full of washing for you
❤️
Loving the golden morning light on Charentaise stone in our little corner of rural France. The birds are busy again, gathering, feeding, resting on wires making travel plans. I am knee deep in logs to be cut and branches we trimmed last Autumn now ready to be snipped into burnable lengths as we ponder whether it is ‘more layers’ or ‘light the fire’. There’s a nip in the air.
Putting out a basket of 'free apples - help yourself' from the windfalls that are littering the lawn..
I picked up a very large wonky courgette from just such a ‘help yourself’ box yesterday. It was yummy lovely.
Super! We have a glut of cucumbers and have been known to acost passing motorists with them!
Watching the squirrels, hedgehogs and various birds in the garden; i've enjoyed three early mornings going to work in the dark, watching the beautiful starlit pre-dawn skies and seeing Orion and his astronomical companions, a reminder that winter is soon to come. Baking maple syrup and hazlenut cookies.
What do I wear? it's freezing when I get up (first tinge of frost this morning) and then the sun comes out and by afternoon I am roasting in that big jumper, only to need it again as soon as the sun goes down.
Fuchsia and Japanese anemones flowering madly.
Slug battle over courgettes not going well, the slugs are eating them faster than they can grow now.
Yes, frost! Thought I was seeing things, but there it was on the roof of a house behind ours this morning.
Picked elderberries and made immune boosting syrup, rowan berries for jelly and rose hips for tea.
A look behind the scenes at the nature reserve, walking and talking with the wardens, discussing Autumn plans for managing the biodiversity and ecosystems of the reserve to ensure nature can thrive. Admiring the first of our winter visitors 🍂
Urging my tomatoes all strange breeds to ripen , whilst the rustle of a brown paper bag where they are slipped in to nestle with a banana calls for their final red blush to be encouraged . It’s that time of year where garden spiders wrap us in cobwebs as we saunter in the garden watching seeds go over and gathering those of calendula & sweet cicely . Foraging harvesting walking & lighting fires there is a rare beauty in the Wheel of the Year as it changes our habits & runs us into The Autumn Solstice 🔥🌿🌱🍃
Deadheading the last of the summer bedding plants to try and stretch them out a little more, dark evenings means jigsaws are out and candles are lit. I’m doing the usual thing of summer is over, start thinking about Christmas - I need to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the autumn.
Spotting conkers and busy squirrels.
Definite chill in the air and a need for an extra layer.
Contemplating the heating already!
Yes! I found an empty conker case on the bench in our garden, guessing it was a squirrel, wracking my brains as to where the horse-chestnut tree is. It looks like there has been a lot of bird and squirrel activity by the state of the bench.
I picked up a conker on my walk yesterday, it was still greasy from its casing. The first ones are always a treasure. Nature is truly amazing.
Watching a golden-coated Lusitano horse on a lunge rein at breakfast time.
Walking through piles of crisp, crunchy leaves and collecting some nice flat ones for leaf printing with my little grandson.