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.