Friday 21 August 2015

Still Life Late Summer

This week has been a mixture of sunshine and rain - early mornings have been beautiful.  On Sunday morning the sun streamed in through the window I snuck down to make a cup of tea and returned to bed with my book for half an hour and luxuriated in idleness and sunshine.  Here are a few still life pictures for you to enjoy.

Zinnias - my favourite summer flower
 
Raindrops like strings of pearls
 
Raindrops like diamonds
 
Harvest from the garden
 
Summer fruits
 
Nature's Bounty
 
Crab apples and cones 
 
Berries and seed heads
 
Sungold Tomatoes
 
 
This is The Snug/Breakfast Room
Where crosswords are completed, newspapers perused,
books read, and tea is drunk - oh, and breakfast is eaten 
 
Late summer still life pictures - just some of the delights at this time of year.  Summer is slowly changing into Autumn - cooler evenings, flowers going over, leaves beginning to fall.  How quickly the circle of the year turns - it never fails to surprise they way it creeps up stealthily with subtle hints day by day.  I'm not ready quite yet to say goodbye to Summer.  But I fear the lazy, hazy days are coming to an end.
 
'Til next time I leave you with this poem
 
 

"Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
    Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
    Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn."
-  Michelle L. Thieme, August's Crown
 
Elaine


48 comments:

  1. A good book, a nice cup of tea and a morning spent in bed with the sunshine coming in - that sounds like a perfect morning to me :) I love all the amazing pictures. You've captured summer beautifully in them. That poem is wonderful. I can't believe summer is already coming to an end. But I'm sure fall will be just as beautiful. Have a wonderful weekend, Elaine.

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    1. Thank you Beate. It was a perfect morning just what I needed after a hectic week. I hope you and Keith are both ok - I miss seeing his posts every week. Have yourself a great weekend too.

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  2. Oh we've had a few fabulous starts to the day here too Elaine although they have not lived up to their early promise. Your zinnias are a touch of instant sunshine though. I hope that you have a good weekend.

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    1. No, you're right Anna - they didn't last through the day but a bit of sunshine in the morning helps you to feel optimistic doesn't it. The zinnia have been lovely this year they flower for so long and certainly add a splash of colour. Enjoy your weekend too.

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  3. What beautiful pictures! I feel like I'm missing Summer already. I love that poem.

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    1. Hello Suzy Mae - thanks for visiting and for your kind comment.

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  4. A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks Flighty - I enjoyed taking these late summer pictures.

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  5. Wonderful still life photos, I love 'Nature's Bounty' and 'Summer Fruit' especially but they are all lovely. Like you I'm not quite ready yet to bid summer farewell:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. Glad you liked my 'nature table'. I hope summer lasts a bit longer too - today was lovely and warm but the sky was grey all day - weird sort of weather.

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  6. Nothing better than a book and a nice cup of tea. Lovely still life series, especially 'Nature's Bounty' is so beautiful and in your sunny Breakfast room it must be a delight to spend the time, the bright colours make us happy!

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    1. Absolutely Janneke. I did enjoy my extra half hour in bed. I do love bright colours - I find them so cheering.

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  7. Perfect examples of this time of year... As the Wheel of the Year, is turning, once more.

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    1. Alas there is no stopping it is there Tessa - let's hope there is still some summer left to enjoy.

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  8. I am done in the garden. Everything is fading. Including me. And here, we do have hazy days as the smoke from far away wild fires drifts south and east. California is on fire along with Washington and Oregon. The smoke turns the light hazy golden, making really pretty sunsets, but hard to breath for those who have respiratory ailments. I will be returning the classroom to teach two classes next week, so summer really has come to an end. Love your photos this time--always.

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    1. I agree Ann the garden is fading fast - I have hardly any colour left in it now - it feels as though it is winding down already - shame! I didn't realise that there were so many fires - it makes me grateful for all the rain we have. I hope you enjoy returning to the classroom I expect it will seem a bit strange to start with after all this time away. Glad you liked the photos. Have a great weekend.

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  9. Glorious glorious colour Elaine!

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    1. They are rather colourful aren't they - I should have put a warning at the beginning - sunglasses required!

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  10. Your photographs remind me of an exercise in colour I did as a Foundation student. You inspire me to do it again. x

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    1. Thanks Rachel - glad I'm useful for something.

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  11. Such brightly colourful and cheerful pictures :-) I love the one with raindrops.

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    1. Thanks Sarah - the raindrops are always hard to capture but worth the effort.

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  12. Elaine, your late summer certainly is a riot of colour and deliciousness, all so beautifully arranged. You've brightened my late winter grey.

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    1. Hi Jane
      Yes, calm and serene my garden is not - give me a riot of colour any day.

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  13. Raindrops spun like diamonds on a spider's web. Yes?

    Ms Soup

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  14. Oh wow! Your pics are glorious! How utterly lovely. Your Summer's bounty is generous, and infused with the most beautiful colours. It makes me eagerly anticipate the coming season.

    And zinnias are some of my faves also : )

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    1. Thanks Antoinette. Our season is fading fast the garden has suffered this year so I am trying to capture the last of the summer colour before it goes altogether. Of course we will soon have autumn to look forward to, but that's another story. Not everyone likes Zinnia but I do because every flower is different and unique, luckily the slugs haven't got to them this year which is a bonus.

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  15. Your photos are wonderful! I love zinnias too. Don't have any growing right now, but have already picked up a seed packet for next year's garden. Thank you for visiting my blog and joining in my celebration of August!

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    1. Thank you Aisling and welcome to my blog. So glad you love Zinnia too, they aren't to everyone's taste but I guess that's what makes everyone's garden different - they reflect an individual's personality. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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  16. I have to say Elaine, that I'm not very keen on zinnias ….. they're a bit gaudy for me but, hey, that's just me and, they do nothing to spoil your beautiful photographs !!
    … those sungold tomatoes look good ! XXXX

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    1. Hi Jacqueline
      Taste in the garden has never been my strong point - give me brash and colourful any day. The sungold toms are really delish - really tasty and so prolific. Glad you enjoyed the photos. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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    2. I'm a bit of a misery when it comes to colour Elaine !!! Just call me insipid and boring !! haha
      It's a good job that we all like different things, isn't it ? It makes for an interesting and diverse world. XXXX

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  17. What an absolutely wonderful colourful batch of photos! That's what flowers and vegetables look like with sun AND rain ? I've forgotten during this dry dry dry summer ~ such a treat to see your bountifulness! Love the raindrop photos ~ they are indeed jewels.

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    1. Thanks Glo. It certainly has been a funny old summer for you this year. We haven't had as much rain as normal any we have had has been gratefully received. Glad you liked my pics they are very cheery aren't they.

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  18. Your late summer photos are great. The flowers in the vase at the top is picture perfect.

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    1. Thanks Kelli. I do love their bright colours although they don't mix very well with other flowers so I tend to put them in a vase on their own - they have been flowering for ages and still have plenty of bids waiting to open.

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  19. Your photos are a scrapbook of summer moments. I don't want to say goodbye either, but here in the mountains, we are definitely in a season change.

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    1. Your summer seems so fleeting after winter disappears everything goes full throttle for a few weeks then as quickly as it comes it goes. The season changes here are much more slow and subtle almost arriving without our noticing.

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  20. Beautiful post Elaine.
    I just love this transitional time of year. Bright sunny days and cooler nights are a perfect combination for delights in the garden.
    I hope you are well.
    Susan x

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    1. Thank you Susan. Hope everything is ok with you long time no see.

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  21. What a visual feast for the eyes! I loved each and every picture! One thing about autumn is the colour, it does outdo summer for sure.
    I love your snug, it must be a wonderful place to sit all year round! Yes, there is a chill creeping into the evenings now and the nights are drawing in....I always feel a little sad when summer ends as it brings us that much closer to winter...
    Another marvelous post!xxx

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    1. Thanks Dina. Glad you enjoyed the pics. I know that things are slowly changing but as much as I love autumn I don't want it to come quite as quickly as it appears to be doing. I hadn't really had my fill of summer yet. Enjoy the rest of the week and don't work too hard!

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  22. Dear Elaine- your pictures are lovely. I am enjoying my Zionists here. Yes August is winding down. Wishing it could stay longer even though Autumn is my favorite time of the year. Hope you enjoy each and every moment. Hugs

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    1. Dear Debbie
      Thank you. I suspect you sent this message from your ipad and auto correct has kicked in - Zionists instead of Zinnias lol. The season seems to be changing fast here - I hope it is only a temporary glitch as I haven't had time to wear all my summer clothes yet. Ha! Thanks for your kind wishes.

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  23. I love zinnias too their flower heads seem to last for ages and the colours are so bright and cheerful. I too don't want summer to end. Sarah x

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    1. Hi Sarah
      I agree - mine have been flowering all summer with loads more buds to open - and each flower is different and yes, so cheerful - you can't argue with that.

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