October Favourites

 

Lake Huron, late September

Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is filled with leaves

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves.

Humbert Wolfe

The wind is indeed rising today and cooler, wetter, windier weather is in the forecast. I love it. Every season has its delights and I thought I'd share some of my October favourites. 

A List: October Favourites, 

in no particular order

1. apples - good in cake, pies, crisps, and salads

2. layering up with sweaters 

3. the sound of rain on the roof at bedtime

4. lighting a candle for the table

5. scuffling through crunchy leaves

6. sunshine on the water

7. the glow of light through autumn leaves

8. walking with my husband

9. dried hydrangea blossoms

10. reading in a pool of lamplight

11. homemade soup

12. a cozy throw or shawl

13. cups of tea in bone china mugs

14. tending my houseplants

15. leaves swirling in the wind

And one more thing to share. I walked with a friend this morning and rounding a corner on the path, we saw a flurry of feathers as a startled Barred Owl flew a short distance from us. Unafraid he watched us, occasionally tilting his head, just as we watched him and told him how lovely he was. What a special thing to see in my favourite month!

Five Favourites: A Taste of Summer

It happens each year. Each green shoot poking upwards is oohed and aahed over. When the first flower appears, perhaps a yellow crocus, my heart sings. Little by little more flowers show up and each one is admired. 

Then the first warm days arrive and the blooms rush one upon the other so that it's impossible to keep track of them all. I liken it to when my children were very young and I knew each word they could say. Then, from one day to the next, they began speaking words I hadn't taught them and couldn't possibly count. 

This morning, while putting my bags in the car, this flower-laden rhododendron smacked me with its showy beauty. Last year, it bloomed not at all. This year, it's making up for it by being covered with perfect blooms.  

I took a few pictures with my phone this morning, and went out again this evening for more with my camera. Pink rhodos are first on this post of five favourites. 

Second is cauliflower rice. I'd read about it and thought that it couldn't be very good. When we were in the Cotswolds two summers ago (can it be that long?) I picked up a BBC Easy Cook magazine with a recipe for Cauliflower Pilaf. I tried it last week and was very pleasantly surprised. Have you ever tried cauliflower rice? 

Third are the bleeding hearts. I think they need to be moved elsewhere in the garden because they aren't flourishing. There are just a couple of stems with blooms, but they dangle like charms.

We've had a delightful taste of summer this week, with above average temperatures. I've enjoyed every minute of it. The apple trees obviously like it, too, with pale pink blossoms opening to the sun.  

The stars of the garden just now, for me, are the bluebells. I pick them by fistfuls and plunk them into short vases in the house. I love their faint sweet fragrance, and of course, their colour. So pretty. 

Our little bit of summer is set to disappear over the weekend. I know it will return and I've enjoyed this appetizer of the season to come. It wasn't difficult to find five favourites to share with you today. I hope spring has arrived in your corner (or fall if you're below the equator), bringing with it all the delights of the changing seasons. 

An Evening Stroll with Clippers - Favorite Things

After cleaning up dinner dishes, I was planning to carry on with folding the laundry and such. But the evening light called me. I went outside to wander around my garden, but soon returned for my clippers. The makings of a bouquet of many colors bloomed.
 

Roses, hydrangeas, two broken stems of delphiniums and some feverfew make up this lush bouquet. I photographed outside in the lovely light of this longest day of the year.
 

 

Inside, the flowers add life to the entrance hall. After I took the photo, I looked at the items there, and each one holds special meaning. The vase holding the flowers was given to me by a piano student in Ecuador. The black iron candle holder by a friend, also from Ecuador. The coral in the cloche reminds me of our vacation to Mexico a few years ago. And the doily was crocheted by my daughter's mother-in-law for me as a Christmas gift. These are a few of my favorite things. 

Linking to A Favorite Thing - hosted by Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.