Friday Favourites: September Thoughts

 

Today's skies are clouded, the light dull. Temperatures are inching downwards ever so slowly. From my window I see the top lilac leaves have changed to deep brown-red. The birch tree leaves look tired and worn. It will be another six or eight weeks before the trees are bare, but yesterday, while I was running errands, gusts of wind blew handfuls of crisp leaves across the streets. 

Earlier in the week, I went to cut some basil to make pesto. The skies were that deep blue of September, like a glass bowl over the earth. Apart from the bees busy among the cosmos and mint flowers, the air was still and hushed. Golden light poured over everything. My heart ached with the beauty of the day. Beauty - "heaven's sweet gift" according to poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. I could hardly bear to return indoors and clipped a bouquet of zinnias along with the basil, and took time to admire the lingering sweet peas, bright Rudbeckia, and creamy roses. 

My reading lately has been a bit sporadic. I've indulged in dipping in and out of several books, and some older Victoria and British Country Living magazines. The books that appeal to me most are gentle reads, many from my own shelves. Here are the books I've finished most recently.

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

When I finished September, I closed the book with a sigh of contentment. I do love the settings she evokes, and the description of the homes people live in. 

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I had not previously read this classic, said to be the first of the British Detective style of novel. It took awhile to get into the rhythm of the story, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

A most unlikely story that had me skipping over sections to finish. It's a dual time-line novel set in the fine art world, focusing on the Van Gogh family - Vincent, his brother Theo, and Theo's wife Jo. I didn't really enjoy this book despite my appreciation for Van Gogh's art.  

The setting sun captured from our patio deck one evening. 

There are three large platters of tomatoes ripening on the dining room table. I grew Mortgage Lifters this year and they are large and meaty. And oh, so sweet. I've preserved some, and we've been enjoying eating them in a variety of ways. A tomato tart is a delicious thing for supper. I posted the recipe on my Substack here, and will add it to my recipe blog later. 

I'm wondering about moving everything to Substack, as I can have different "publications" all tied to the same profile and account. Blogger has been rather full of glitches lately, although they seem to be resolved now. 

Cosmos in that golden light of the morning I mentioned earlier. They are sprawling all over the garden beds, and I am so reluctant to trim them. Since my husband became a beekeeper, I'm more aware of the honey bees that visit my garden. The beehives are at our daughter's small acreage a few kilometres away, but Tim tells me that bees forage quite far. He's also mentioned that late summer/early autumn is when pollen is more scarce and the bees sometimes struggle to find food to carry them through the winter. So I'll leave the cosmos sprawl until frost kills them and the bees hunker down in their cozy hives. 

Nine little jars of basil pesto to store in the freezer. It's so delicious slathered on salmon before baking it, or bread, or tomatoes, or stirred into vegetable soups. I also like it on crackers and cheese. My basil has been prolific this year, and I will likely dry the remainder. 

As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough 

to paint the beautiful things I see.

Vincent Van Gogh

I wish you delightful moments of capturing in your mind or on paper or canvas, or photos the beautiful things you see this autumn, or spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere.