Wednesday 16 October 2013

Rambling on . . . about the last of the summer wine

SDC18921

Seven o’clock. Still dark. Through the half open window the first bird wakens and starts singing. A Robin, trilling up and down the scales. The heating clicks on as a heavy fog veils the valley. Drip,drip,drip.

So this is autumn, the not so pleasant side of autumn. Damp days, grey skies and constant drizzle. Drip, drip, drip.

The sun broke through for a little while yesterday and a few gardening jobs were completed. Tomatoes gathered to be ripened indoors

SDC18866 

Apples harvested for winter storage

SDC18863

The last few courgettes, hanging on grimly, and a handful of surviving caterpillars on the kale, squished, in my gloved hand.

The day before I walked in the rain already tired of being indoors. Around the village there were a few colourful sights to cheer.

SDC18909

A Rowan tree full of berry

SDC18911

Crab apples festooning a front garden tree

SDC18910

Pyracantha berries mirroring the red of the telephone box

SDC18905

A vivid, eyecatching Acer, enough to bring a smile on the wettest of days.

SDC18891

The trees down the lane are still hanging on to their leaves which are slow to change colour, reluctant to give up their summer glory.

Soon we will hunker down and accept the shorter days and longer nights.  Soups and heartwarming stews will be made, more time spent in the kitchen and beside the fire.  Last winters’ projects will be hunted out and resumed, picking up from where they were left when spring arrived.

Hats, coats and gloves are at the ready – come on winter, do your worst – let’s get this over with.

22 comments:

  1. I has been miserable this week hasn't it. We did manage a reasonable afternoon yesterday though

    ReplyDelete
  2. A glorious day yesterday. But at 7.00 a.m. this morning I was lying in bed listening to a howling gale and not looking forward to getting up at all. I think my robin felt likewise.
    Love the acer in its blue pot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What wonderful photos - I can just smell those apples and, of course, just as you head into autumn and winter we have spring with its variable weather - warm and sunny one day, blowing a gale and rain the next and all that wonderful new spring growth.

    I think I prefer autumn though.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A fine harvest haul, and I'm struck by how civilised it all looks round about where you live. Those phone boxes always remind me of the exciting yet safe Britain of children's fiction.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that sky pic and that Acer is AMAZING looking. Wow I've never seen one of those before

    ReplyDelete
  6. No robin this morning here but in the wind and rain a lot of the little birds seem to have returned to the garden to seek food and shelter. I love the colours in your walk especially the Acer in it's blue pot:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's damp & dismal here in Suffolk too. They are wonderful photos and that Acer is so stunning! I do love the colours of autumn.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the smells of Autumn too - like musty leaves, and woodsmoke. It's a shame that we can't have a shorter Winter though. Two months, instead of six, maybe!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It was quite foggy here in Essex this morning and in the distance I could see a glimmer of a sunrise at 7am. Isn't it always the way but just as the days are getting colder and winter's on its way, our central heating has packed up! So it's on with the socks and winter woollies until the gas man comes to sort it on Friday. Brrr. Love your photos Elaine, those red bushes and berries are gorgeous.
    Patricia x

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's autumn for you, but thankfully there's still colour and interest to be had. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. That acer is stunning, as is the pyracantha. The wind has blown our rain away, which I am grateful for as my bulb order has arrived. I actually rather love Autumn, with its "variable" weather, it provides a gentle buffer for winter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your world is beautiful, and compared to our chilly Autumn here, so very colorful. I remember the drip drip of the rainy coastal Autumns...but when we had a stretch of sunshine and cool temps it was pure delight. Up here the weather is much cooler, but less rain.

    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sorry you're dreading it so much, Elaine. Can't say I mind too much - just a different set of jobs to do and the promise of next year to keep me going. Chin up, Dave

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a wonderful post, such beautiful images of autumn too. I loved all the berries and vivid shades of red. Hey....we may have a good autumn yet, but I hear a bitterly cold winter is being forecast....shudders....

    You do have lots of toms there! And I expect there will be a few crumbles and pies looking at those apples.xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  15. A lovely look at autumn. There are always far too many cold/foggy/wet days, but when the sun comes out the countryside and gardens do look beautiful. You have a terrific crop of fruit there.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, that crab apple tree full of color is very cheerful. I love how you've found these splashes of color against that leaden sky.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It all looks wonderful - how can you not like the arrival of winds and rains? I mean it - I'm an autumn person. Your harvest looks enticing. My apples aren't ripe yet - and they are many fewer than yours . . . Er . . . come to think of it perhaps I should go and check they haven't been blown off their tree!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful reading post and the first picture you captured of the sky is just amazing. Love these spooky dark skies. You still had a good harvest! We had so much rain last few days, the garden has changed totally, should love to spend more time inside now, but still have lots to do outside.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You have written so wonderfully about the change of the seasons. Fall is becoming my favorite season because the bright colors just excite me. Here in Colorado, we savor each fall day because just one snow storm will wreck the trees. I really like your photo of the little lane. It could be a favorite walk.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My sentiments exactly - winter, just get it over! Maybe time to move SOuth with my attitude!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Good morning Elaine! How lovely to meet you today on this gray and chilly day here in the midwestern USA. I am pleased to know that you occasionally read what what I write, but more pleased that you commented so I could find YOU! I've never been to England, but lived in France but hope to visit your country in the new future. We are in for the coldest of seasons, but the job of the writer/artist is to find something unusual in the mundane. I wish you a world of discovery in the chambers of winter. Anita

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love autumn colours, Elaine, and your post has captured the spirit beautifully despite the rain! There's such a lot of berries on all the shrubs and trees this year, it's really making everything very colourful - the birds will all be very fat and well fed this winter! Being a morning person, I don't like the darker mornings but I love the thought of rediscovering my crochet in the darker evenings! If we have a long winter, I may even get the damn thing finished!

    ReplyDelete