Sunday, October 14, 2018

Making the Most of October Days



"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." Nathaniel Hawthorne

We are in the midst of sunny days and cold, clear nights that hold the best of this month. These days are all the more precious for knowing that they will soon be replaced by rain and cold. 
While chatting with two friends over tea today, we all agreed that we must make the most of this beautiful weather. For me, that means spending time outside when I get home from work. There's time for a walk in the sunshine before making dinner, or some puttering in the garden.  


The bird feeder is a popular place, and close to the window where our breakfast table sits. We find great entertainment in watching the comings and goings of our feathered friends. The goldfinches, not quite so golden now in the fall, feed alongside the house finches. But let a junco or towhee try to alight and the feathers fly! Above, it looks as though quite a conversation is taking place, with the female house finch talking a mile a minute! What enthralling story is she telling?


"The clear light that belongs to October was making the landscape radiant." Florence Bone

Today's walk took us to Thetis Lake. Still water reflected coin shaped leaves - nature's pieces of gold. 


Along the roads, fiery red leaves twirl to the ground, soon dry and swirl up in the wind. They make me want to twirl, too, or pick them up in great handfuls and throw them into the air.


These are also the days for lingering over breakfast on a Saturday morning, talking about the plans for the day, and not being in much of a hurry to do anything. As I prepared the baked eggs, I thought about where the ingredients came from - the eggs gifted from our daughter in Vancouver who has 4 urban chickens. The tomato and Swiss chard were grown in our garden. There's a little Parmesan cheese grated on top, brought from Italy for us by our tenant. How kind of her. 


A stack of freshly ironed tea towels and the linen napkins used last week for Thanksgiving dinner begged me to take their photo. I don't always iron my tea towels, but felt like doing so this week. They work just as well un-ironed as ironed, but do look prettier when smooth and crisp. Even the chore of ironing was easier on a bright and leisurely day.


One last photo from our walk. A tangle of branches, a swath of gold and the dark water of the lake. Autumn perfection!

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

33 comments:

  1. Lovely blooms!
    Greetings from Augsburg, Heidrun xxx

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  2. A soothing start to my Monday. Thankyou. Intrigued by your house finches with their orange feathers. Your goldfinches are very different to ours, lacking the red bits round their heads. Those baked eggs look delicious. I’m off to find a suitable recipe for lunch. Have a good week. B x

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  3. Your birds do look as though they are discussing things of great importance! We seem to have more goldfinches visiting with the cooler weather now.

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  4. Lovely post Lorrie. Beautifully written and beautifully photographed.

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  5. Oh, I have enjoyed this post, Lorrie! Leisurely and lovely with all your sweet chat about the day. I like to iron pillow slips -- like you and your pretty pile of teatowels, I don't iron them all the time, but I sure do love how they look all smooth and crisp.

    Wishing you a wonderful week ahead...
    Brenda xox

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  6. Such gorgeous fall photos!! The scenes of autumn fill my cup. You've inspired me to get outside sometime during this busy week and soak in some autumn. The cool, crispy weather has just arrived here these past few days, so it's time!

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  7. There is so much beauty around us on these days of October! Tea towels are kitchen art to me. I iron them and choose which one to use according to my mood and the season. Your breakfast looks delicious.

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  8. You live in a beautiful place! We just started getting cooler weather a couple of days ago and now we are waiting for the colors to change. Have a wonderful week!

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  9. Glad to see that you are enjoying some beautiful golden days this month, here in Normandy the leaves are turning red and gold and the conkers are falling!
    Happy Mosaic Monday.

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  10. Goodness! You’re making me want to iron my tea towels! And I have a new one that would fit in so well with your blues...a gift from my sister.

    Funny how the hike is not making me wish to take a walk, though I did last night to watch the old mill burn. An awful four alarm fire with over 80 firefighters working at the scene overnight. No loss of life, just the loss of town history. It does give me a pang each time I think of it.

    Lovely photos with great quote accompaniments. Somehow a beautiful photo becomes moreso with words.

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  11. Love this post, Lorrie ... so soothing! Your breakfast made my mouth water. Have a great week.

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  12. Such a joy to visit and enjoy your beautiful photography. I like to iron kitchen towels, I just love how they stack so well or roll up into a basket. You are surrounded by beauty, the golden hues of Autumn are a delight.

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  13. What a lovely walk! We had a really cold night and the leaves are literally raining down. And it is sunny so it is making a lovely show. :) Kit

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  14. The tea towels look so pretty. I love these shades of blue! And views of the water are beautiful...such nice reflections! Enjoy your week. We are still a little warm for Oct but may have another cool down soon. Hugs!

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  15. Beautiful, beautiful photos & thoughts <3 We have also exceptionally warm & sunny days - just gorgeous!

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  16. Lovely from start to finish! We have guests at the moment, and we took a walk with them in our woods yesterday. I reveled in the colors, and the almost indescribable aroma of autumn - leaves decaying, pine needles warm in the sun … We wrapped the day with an outside fire - so relaxing!!!

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  17. Lovely fall photos. It is cold here, but the skies are blue. THe horses at our barn that we volunteer at seem to have a spring in their horsey steps . THey are already getting their furry coats on. 'Im not happy with the cold, but I have to get over it. 50s and sun is a fine day anyday

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  18. Just beautiful! What an amazing Autumn/Fall we are having. Right now I have the door open and just enjoying the feel of the sun on my arms as I type. How I love twirling in the falling leaves also. Out walking today the leaves are so vibrant, they made my heart very happy. Oh ironing, I do iron my napkins and pillowcases, but the only tea towels are vintage ones that I use just for display and don't use. The everyday towels are just washed and put back in service. I do love freshly ironed things though. Being outdoors right now is a gift of JOY and color for sure to be soaked in before the dark days and rain begin.

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  19. October days are a treasure. And beautiful treasure indeed at and around your home. Thank you for sharing it. I agree, it truly is a month to make the most of every sunny moment. And, although I never iron tea towels, I agree that even indoor tasks go faster and happier on a sunny Fall day.

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  20. October sounds like a beautiful month for you to enjoy the gifts of nature and time spent with family and friends. Enjoy the last of the autumn sunshine. Here we are alternating between winter with cold and wet, and spring with sunny and clear. Soon I know that summer will be coming. Have a lovely week.

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  21. Such beautiful and delightful pictures, dear Lorrie. That first photo collage took my breath away.

    Wishing you a lovely October! Hugs!

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  22. Autumn looks beautiful through your lens! You almost have me inspired to go iron my tea towels. Thank-you for giving me a name for the birds at my feeder...the little red-headed house finches. I wondered what they were.

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  23. Another lovely post from you.
    I love all of your photographs and your leisurely breakfast looks and sounds wonderful.

    Enjoy the remainder of this glorious month.

    All the best Jan

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  24. Your breakfast is making me hungry...and I already ate my dinner!

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  25. You truly have captured the sentiments of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Oh those baked eggs look so good!

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  26. What a wonderful post, each photo more delightful than the other.
    This year it's easy to love autumn. :) We have had so many bright days that even the foggy weather of today is just lovely.

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  27. Anonymous11:29 AM

    Your breakfast looks delicious! And I too would iron the tea towels and have done a "photo shoot" with them! These are the wonderful in-between days before more severe weather comes along. We have no color change yet but I know it's coming! ~Podso. (Having trouble leaving comments so trying anon.)

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  28. I think Hawthorne was right about our feelings in October. Thank you for that quote, my spirit soared as I read it. Such a great shot of the finches at the feeder! Is that a rosy finch on the left? We have lots of finches here, so many that we thought about naming our place Finch Hill instead of Home Hill. I'd never thought about it before but you are right, most of the time it is the finches all visiting together and then another kind land and the finches leave in a huff. Just observing the birds makes you certain there's more to their lives than we guess.

    Lovely, lovely breakfast plate! Scrumptious blue tea towels! These things do matter.

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  29. Ah yes...beautiful October...and our here in NC is about to get even better since the weather has finally changed to "fall". Your photos are so pretty and that breakfast looks delicious! Our birds and squirrels are taking turns at the feeders and it's hard to keep them full of seed. Those little critters know what's coming!

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  30. October looks good at your place.

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  31. Autumn looks very pretty in your part of the world, Lorrie. I love the photo of all the birds at your bird feeder. I can not put up a feeder as the squirrels are very aggressive and eat all the seed quickly, no matter how much I try to baffle them. Other wild animals come by to eat the bird seed, too. Your baked eggs look delicious and I love the orange flowers and leaves.

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  32. Breakfast looks so delicious and inviting!

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  33. Oh, what an absolutely beautiful post. Just a blessing to read and look at. The baked eggs look wonderful! And the tea towels ... well, all is lovely. A gift. Thank you for sharing.

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