Friday 9 October 2015

The Air is Wild with Leaves - Random Autumn Jottings

 

I wake up at 6.30 the sky is grey and the morning isn't very welcoming. I watch as a skein of geese fly in formation, low over the rooftops, honking  all the way to the nearby lake. It takes me a couple of hours to get myself together and presentable - the older I get the longer it takes, this is all prolonged by the fact that I check my emails, read a few blogs, keep picking my current book up to read a few lines.

I go downstairs and try to find a space to set up the ironing board in all the chaos that is my home at the moment.  Husband is painting the skirting boards - the last leg of the dining room decorating.  Tomorrow he starts on the living room end - the jobs seem endless and I really will be glad when it is all finished and I'm sure he will too.


 After lunch of egg on toast, the sky turns the colour of bruised plums, the heavens open and torrents of rain fall.  Gushing down water spouts and running down the road like a river; pounding at the windows - and we say goodbye to the perfect weather of early Autumn. I decide to make a cake to pass the time till it stops - I'm not much of a baker but can manage a decent fruit cake.


Then, as suddenly as it starts, it stops; the sky reverts to a beautiful cerulean blue and the sun shines.  I take a walk down puddled lanes where trees drip about me; raindrops glittering like diamonds on every leaf tip, shimmering and quivering.  Leaves twirl and fall turning into a gold and copper pavement beneath my feet.



On my way round I stop for a gossip with a friend who is walking her dog, a Springer Spaniel called Fudge. We talk for a while and the dog gets impatient wanting to get on with his walk, so we go our separate ways.    I pop into a friends  for a cup of tea, it's been a few days since I saw her,  it's nice to have a chat, and talk about the books we have read and how our gardens are doing. When I get home I put a chicken casserole in the oven for dinner. In the evening we watch a film 'The Place Beyond the Pines' that I had recorded - which turned out to be rather good.  Bed by 10 for more reading - The Infinities by John Banville, a strange  kind of novel about how the ancient gods interfere with our daily lives.

This is just a random day in a week where nothing much happened. 
 
Here are some autumnal pictures that I took whilst sauntering round the village.
 

 

 





 
'Til next time here is a passage from
Ann of Green Gables

It was October again ... a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain - amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke blue.  The dews were so heavy that the fields glistened like cloth of silver and there were such heaps of rustling leaves in the hollows of many-stemmed woods to run crisply through ~ L.M. Montgomery
Elaine
And lastly my contribution to National Poetry Day
(albeit a day late)
Mary Oliver <3

51 comments:

  1. The blurry effect on some of the photos fits in nicely with your theme today. Maybe one of those days when nothing stands out, but everything seems to fit together?

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  2. Thank you for sharing your day. Love those autumn colours - we don't get them like that here.

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    1. Oh that's a shame - it's the best thing about autumn.

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  3. A beautiful post Elaine..........showing Autumn in all its glory. I love England.....I love the changing seasons.

    There is nothing worse than living with the chaos that decorating etc brings. Somehow, it puts everything else out.......leaving us with jumbled rooms and jumbled minds :)
    Still, not too far to go now and it will be lovely when completed........

    Have a good weekend ...........

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    1. Thank you Cheryl. Each season brings its own delights doesn't it - I am coming round to liking autumn more I have to say.

      Oh tell me about it. We keep moving stuff around, can't find anything when we need it - forever cleaning the dust caused by him sanding everything in sight - ha! We reckon middle of next week and it will be done. Waiting for the sofa to come back from being re-upholstered - then new carpet and curtains and that's it. No more decorating - for a while at least. All these things soon add up, costwise, that is - I never realised just how expensive everything is.

      Have a good weekend yourself. Hope the weather stays fine so we can get out and set the gardens to rights.

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  4. Gorgeously autumnal pictures and an enjoyable walk through your day (though I'm left wishing there was evidence of living room decorating and a cake in the oven here!).

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  5. A beautiful post Elaine complete with lovely pics. I do like the cemetery one.. a place of solitude and respect.
    The fruit cake looks yummy too and the completed painting will brighten the rooms for the season ahead.
    I hope you are well...
    Susan x

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    1. Thank you Susan for your kind words. I am well - hope you are too.

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  6. I loved experiencing your day with you! Lovely images and I do like your poem- so very true. Have a beautiful weekend!

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    1. Thank you jandi for your kind comment and welcome to my blog. Have a beautiful weekend too.

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  7. Thank you for letting me join your peaceful, gentle day :) I love the Autumn shades you have captured and fruit cakes sounds perfect for these crisp, brisk days. Mary Oliver is, as always, just perfect.
    Thank you for sharing and linking up! Have a lovely weekend :)

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    1. Thank you Suzy - glad you enjoyed the post. Mary Oliver always seems to find the right words for any given situation doesn't she. Have a lovely weekend yourself - hope you are feeling a little perkier now.

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  8. What a wonderful story of a day's transition from gray to color on so many levels! You photos shoe it so beautifully. I'm especially fond of the 1st photo of the glorious rose!! Thank you! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you Cathy - autumn is a wonderful time for beautiful colours. I am amazed at just how many roses are still flowering - what would we do without them in our lives. Have a great weekend.

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  9. Beautiful autumn, beautiful England! It looks like you have already much more autumn coloured leaves than we have. Enjoyed your experience of a normal day. I think these are the best days, I love quiet and peaceful days, sometimes I think I have too few of them.
    Have a nice weekend with autumnsun!
    Janneke

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    1. Thank you Janneke. It has been a wonderful autumn so far - the weather, although chilly some days, has been lovely - just right for putting the garden to rights before winter sets in. Have a good weekend - I hope you get plenty of sun too.

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  10. Spending a day with you, Elaine, has been delightful, written so eloquently. My pleasure reading for today as I am doing the less romantic, meeting with my own students and tutoring in the writing center. Love the Rose photo, romantic and beautiful. Your house is a mess, is t it? But it will be clean and fresh and beautiful when it is all finished.

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    1. Thank you Ann. I am flattered that you think my writing eloquent - such a compliment from a tutor of literature. Oh, so you've noticed the chaos that my room is in - ha ha! Hopefully in a few more days it will all be put to rights and we can get back to civilised living. have a great weekend.

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  11. Autumn in all it's glory Elaine ..... so beautiful. It is a wonderful time of year isn't it ?
    The roses have been magnificent this year ..... my ' Penny Lane ' still has lots of blooms and my creamy rambler is covered again.
    Your decorating is going well ...... soon be time to do the lovely titivating bits !!!!!
    Enjoy the Autumnal weekend Elaine. I've just downloaded Santa Montifiore's new one set in Italy. XXXX

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    1. Hi Jackie
      Yes, it is a wonderful time of year, that's for sure. My roses are doing better the second time around - they are still flowering their little socks off.
      The decorating is slowly getting there - and I do mean slowly but we are getting there. I can't wait to get the titivating done - definitely the best part.
      I will look up the new Santa Montifiore - although I have a pile of books a mile high to get through yet. Have a great weekend.

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  12. Nice to hear a little about your day, a random day. Not a million miles from mine in some ways with all the things you do in the first 2 hours compressed by me into 45 minutes. The rest of your day deviates away from mine until bedtime. I like your poem choice for the poetry day.

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    1. Some days are more memorable than others. Sometimes I go to bed and can't remember anything that has happened in the previous eight hours - the days pass in a blur - life just goes past so fast sometimes doesn't it. Glad you enjoyed the poem. Have a great weekend.

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  13. It's a little bit of heaven really, isn't it!

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    1. I think so - I try every day to appreciate it all.

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  14. sounds like a perfectly beautiful day to me.

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    1. Some days just blend together perfectly - this was one of those days. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for your comment.

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  15. What a grand way to spend a day. I can relate to parts of your day - especially picking up your current book to read a few more lines...

    The rose photo is a beautiful introduction to your written day.

    Ms Soup

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    1. Thanks Ms Soup - some parts of the day vary of course depending on the weather - but on the whole my morning routine stays more or less the same.

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  16. English graveyards are so much more beautiful than ours. Death is designed to be grim over here.

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    1. I do love a wander round graveyards - can't say I've ever seen a French one though.

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  17. Hang on in there Elaine, the decorating will soon be done. And then you'll have it all fresh and lovely for winter. Your shots have captured the best of autumn. I'm looking at an acer here that seems to be turning red and yet last year it was golden yellow. Bizarre.

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    1. Well I know you are an expert on decorating and renovations so I'll take your word for it. As for the Acer it is obviously having an identity problem.

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  18. Love your autumnal ramblings!

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    1. Thank you Aisling - enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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  19. Sometimes the most ordinary days are the most exceptional. Your autumn colors are glorious. I've never read that particular Mary Oliver poem - is it from her new book?

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    1. All the leaves are starting to turn now providing plenty of photo opportunities. Regarding that poem - I found it on Pinterest.

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  20. Dear Elaine - loved reading about your ordinary day. In the big scheme of things my friend ordinary is truly extraordinary. That shows in the gorgeous pictures that you found on your walk. I so enjoyed my visit. Have a delightful day. P.S. Hope your house update will be done soon. It will be worth it in the end. Hugs!

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    1. Dear Debbie
      Thank you for your kind comment. It is lovely weather here right now - so enjoyable to go out for a walk and capture the colours of autumn. I have been busy in the garden too - planting bulbs and wallflowers and digging out all the foxglove seedlings and re-planting them - hoping for a lovely display next year.

      Take care my friend and have a lovely autumnal week.

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  21. What a lovely day and your photos and words describe it perfectly. I love your new header too. Oh I know what you mean about taking ages to get going in the morning and I was (still am really) a morning person. Also know what you mean about decorating - I hate the upset so much but it is always pleasing when finnished:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. I am a morning person too but I easily get distracted so by the time I have finished messing about with one thing or another I find that half the morning has gone.

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  22. Lovely autumn images.

    Decorating beats ironing any day?

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    1. Thanks Sue. No it doesn't - I don't mind ironing and ironing doesn't cause as much chaos.

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  23. Mary Oliver's poem is hauntingly beautiful, as is your graveyard picture, how well they sit together!
    This sounds like the perfect day to me, if only all days could be so wonderful. I know you still have all the decorating to finish, hopefully that will be done soon and we all get to see the new look! We are having a log burner fitted and our house is chaos now too....the dust and furniture are simply everywhere....sighs....
    I loved that rose around your window, and such beautiful autumn images. What a pretty village you live in!!!xxx

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    1. Mary Oliver always manages to come up with the goods and yes, we have a particularly lovely churchyard. We are nearly there with the decorating - phew! What a job. Been to look at carpets and curtains this morning. Decisions, decisions. I sympathise about the wood burner we had one fitted a couple of years ago - you are sure to be cozy this winter.

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  24. What a fantastic random day with stunning images. I wish I had your way with words. It is a delight to stop by. Sarah x

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    1. Thank you Sarah - goodness such compliments - glad you enjoyed the post.

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  25. Stepping into your lovely space I feel as though I've walked into a fairytale. Such beautiful autumnal images. I'm scurrying off to look up The Infinites, (superb title!). And all capped off with two of my favourite writers ever (LM Montgomery and Mary Oliver). I'm soaking it all in and sighing deeply...and that rose. Oh. My. xx

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    1. Hello Antoinette
      Lovely to see you here. The colours of autumn are wonderful at the moment - everywhere you look something to make your heart swell. Hope you are enjoying fine spring weather.

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  26. Glorious autumn in your images. And I love the Mary Oliver, it's one of my favourites.

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