season....autumn

 Some rainy weather brought jewels to my path. Diamonds on a fallen leaf. 

A couple of weeks ago, Pauline and I took Minnie, her friend's dog, a walk round the grounds of Nostell Priory. We tired all of us out, and finished with coffee and cakes in their caff. Round the edge of the lake we saw this tree....I saw a face (two faces actually! Kissing! In public!) only later when scrolling through the fotos on my fone.

We'd had some blustery winds earlier, and the leaves were starting to come off the trees. This copper collection, gathered in the water, set off against the green rushes.

And Evening Primrose! Still flowering in (then) October! Reminder of sun gone; and sun to return. Some day.
I don't know much about the growing season of Evening Primrose, so maybe they are usually found in flower in October? They seemed fragile to me, in that cold October daylight.

autumnal

Ivy growing up the ash tree in my garden. The flowers are an important food source for bees in the autumn.

The ash tree where said ivy grew. The ash tree that is gone. It had got way too tall, and I'm hopeless with heights, so couldn't get up a ladder to saw it back. So, very sadly, I had to get someone to come and take it down. I really hate chopping down trees! I've spent so many years planting trees; growing saplings from seeds. It breaks my heart to lose one. Especially when ash trees are now under threat from ash die-back. But; it was too big; and blocking out the light coming into my garden; so I had to take steps.
The bonus is for those of my friends who have stoves or open fires! They've been given a 'windfall' of ash logs. As ash wood burns green, and doesn't need drying before putting on the fire, I've been a very popular person! We've been raising glasses and toasting the ash tree; and they've been toasting themselves!

Sadly not home-grown produce; but gifts given from people at the textile group I go to. Buy pumpkin tomorrow for Hallowe'en. Seasonal produce; celebrating the season.
And we have gales forecast tonight and tomorrow. The wind's been blowing the leaves from the trees creating golden confetti. Me and Pauline took puppy Minnie out to Nostell Priory yesterday, and blew our cobwebs away.
I'm indoors now sweeping cobwebs away on ceilings and walls, as I decorate. The nearest I've got to using a paintbrush for months! I'm getting ready to hibernate; hunkering down in response to the diminishing light, and entering the darkness. Samhain on Thursday. Celtic new year; I'll be glad to see the back of this year; it's been a tough one. First, there's this darkness to travel through. One foot in front of another is my mantra.

Dyed, Printed, Stitched & Spun #1

The cotton is dyed using onion skins, a lovely orange brown colour. I've printed onto another piece of fabric. And the wool, is from my first attempts at spinning using a drop spindle! Not fit for knitting with, but very useful for adding texture to a fabric piece.
Not sure quite where this piece is going yet. I need to do some machine sewing on it. I tried handstitching, but it will just take too long, despite the added control it gives me with my mark-making. I'm hoping I'll be able to do some handstitching embellishment over the top of the machine stitch.

Today is bright and sunny, although cold; and we've reached the Equinoxial time of the year, so I shall be utilising the daylight that we have, and stepping out into my studio across the patio, to work on my canvases. After today, we'll be slipping inexorably into the dark. Winter is ahead of us. 
And I have begun knitting my very first pair of socks! Rather appropriate for the dark winter nights! Though too late for xmas presents! No, I think my first pair will be for me. I can iron out all the mistakes then!

Autumn 2010

Cerulean Sky

Golden Trees

It's almost a haiku!

But not quite......

Autumn 2010

Golden autumnal light

Autumn

Here are some berries in the trees;

the sunlight low in the late afternoon sky, illuminating the reds and golds.

Autumn

Last month, I went out for a walk near where I live, and took some photos. We are having a fantastic autumn, with stunning colours of golds, reds, browns, oranges. The sky was cerulean blue, and the trees stood out gold and silver against it.

I used my macro setting too, to capture intimate pictures of leaves and berries, hidden away in the undergrowth.

Since then, we've had gales and winds, and the trees are becoming increasingly bare of foliage. Mostly gone now. But here is a reminder of when the season was turning, before the cold of winter came, and took away the colour.