My Autumn Garden

 

Mid-September and the garden glows with colour. Dahlias, zinnias, rudbeckia, and roses continue to produce bloom after bloom. Cafe au lait, the creamy dahlia in the centre of the image above, is a late bloomer, but well worth waiting for. Bees continue their work, although they are a bit slower to get going in these cooler mornings. 

We went for a walk around the bog yesterday afternoon and oh, how dry it is. No visible water, and the waterfowl have taken themselves elsewhere. Skies have been muted with smoke, giving an eerie light to the days, and most colourful sunsets. These days feel suspended between summer and autumn, as if waiting on the brink of a change. 

I have so enjoyed the fresh peaches this year. I made a fruit salad, slicing the peaches into the bowl so the juice dripped into it. Tame blackberries grow across our neighbour's fence, big and juicy. I pick a few late strawberries and raspberries every day or two. One trick I learned many years ago from a friend, is to add a bit of vanilla extract to a fruit salad. The fragrance is heavenly, and the fruit flavour is enhanced. 

Hydrangeas are turning different colours - some pale green, others pink, or pale blue. A few fresh blooms remind me of how they looked while we were gone. 

Another peach treat was a Peach Crumble Tart. A partially baked crust lined with peeled and sliced peaches, then topped with a simple crumble of butter, flour, and sugar, with a bit of almond extract, baked until golden. That disappeared in a hurry! 

This morning a little wind stirs the leaves and will hopefully blow away the remaining fire smoke. 

Is September golden for you this year? 

Little Things, and a Question

 

After classes today, I had an errand to run that had me driving on a country road overhung by huge trees. I was utterly delighted by the occasional leaf that floated across the road, zigzagging to and fro until it landed on the sodden ground. I found myself smiling and watching out for more leaves to grace my way. 

If ever the world needs grace and beauty, it is now. So much is topsy-turvy and there seems to be a general feeling of unsettledness. It has struck me, not for the first time, that everyday pleasures and small moments of beauty mean more than the huge things like big trips or gifts or parties. 

Barbara Pym wrote "The small things of life were often so much bigger than the great things...the trivial pleasures like cooking, ones' home, little poems especially sad ones, solitary walks, funny things seen and overheard."

The amazing colour of Beauty Berries (Callicarpa) startles among the muted shades of fading autumn. 

When my mother-in-law passed away three years ago, the family divided up her jewelry, and I took these jade earrings for my daughters. They were clip on earrings, and my daughter had them altered for pierced ears. This photo was taken last fall, but it makes me happy to see the girls wear their grandmother's earrings.

Now that darkness falls so much earlier (is it really just one hour?) I find myself looking for the cozy in my home - bringing out the blanket throws, lighting candles, baking toothsome treats, and thinking about Christmas. I have some projects I'm working on, and have started my shopping. I've noticed that some in blog land have made their Christmas cakes. On cool and grey days thinking about the brightness of Christmas (whatever that may look like this year) is a small thing that fills my heart with happiness. 

On the weekend, while standing in line to enter a store, I looked up. A tree near me was filled with golden leaves, not unlike the ones in the photo above, and I immediately thought "pieces of gold". They were so bright against a brilliant blue sky that my breath caught. 

I hope that your days are sprinkled with moments that delight you and fill your soul with beauty. 

And now for a question - starting about now, I like to read Christmas stories, or stories set in winter. Some of my favourites, that I re-read each year, include:

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Some of the Little House chapters that deal with Christmas, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon

I'm curious to know if you have any favourite Christmas-themed stories. Do let me know in the comments, and perhaps I'll compile a list for all of us to reference. 

A Weekend in October

 

There's a sense of quiet that comes in autumn as the earth settles into slumber. Colorless skies and a bit of rain today contributed to the quiet feeling to relax me. After the busy days and weeks of the school start in September, things have settled into a rhythm. I am more than halfway through the 10 weeks of full time teaching and am pleasantly surprised at how I'm doing. Workdays are busy, but on weekends I make an effort to disengage from thinking about classes and students, and focus on rest and preparation. 

Do find that you think about food a lot? I do. I enjoy preparing meals and planning, but sometimes it seems that food is on my mind more than it needs to be. I have found that preparing a few things ahead on the weekend makes the weekdays much easier, and we eat more healthily, too. To that end, this weekend I spent a few hours in the kitchen and made two trays of Roasted Enchilada Sauce with more of our garden tomatoes, Granola with Almonds and Honey, Butternut Squash Curry, a double batch of meatballs, and a Greek Style Roasted Mushrooms. You can click on the links to the recipes. 

These are not complete meals, but they give me a head start on dinner time. I like to make enough for Tim to take to work the next day for lunch. I usually take soup or a salad. I used to plan meals more deliberately, but now I just keep a general idea in my head.

On Saturday afternoon I went shopping for a bit. I've been looking for a pair of waterproof boots that are a bit stylish to wear for walking. This was my third expedition and I'm pleased that I found a pair of Rockport boots that fit the bill. Once home, I made a cup of tea and settled in for some reading - a book I found in the thrift store - "The Evening Chorus" by Helen Humphreys - dealing with the grief of war (WWII) played against the natural world. A quiet read for a quiet day.

This afternoon Tim and I went to Butchart Gardens and wandered around the gardens. It's beautiful throughout the year and now coloured leaves dot the green background. 

The dahlias are still amazing in a variety of colours and shapes. 

We ended our walk with a cup of hot chocolate (and a muffin for Tim), sitting outside in the cool afternoon air. Home again, filled with contentment and the anticipation of an evening of reading or watching a bit of television. And so ends another weekend in October. 

Friday: Celebrating October

 

Here we are in the middle of this month that bridges summer and winter - weather-wise, if not on the calendar.

 

After our heavy rain last Sunday, Monday was gloriously sunny and just right for a hike. We drove a short ways and parked at the base of Horth Hill for a hike that took us through the woods and along a ridge with beautiful views.

Looking up all was blue sky and trees reaching upwards. Our forests are mostly coniferous and predominantly green year round. 

Looking down bright moss mingles with the leaves of maple and other trees. Soon those brown leaves will rot and crumble into soil, enriching the forest floor. 

Light filters through the foliage, sometimes barely reaching through. The undergrowth is often sparse due to the lack of light, and tree trunks bare until quite high up as they reach towards the sun. 

After climbing a little, we walk along the ridge and catch glimpses of the island-dotted Salish Sea. I really can think of no better way to spend an autumn afternoon in October. 

"Listen, the wind is rising and the air is

wild with leaves.

We have had our summer evenings, 

now for October eves."

Humbert Wolf

Darkness comes much earlier now. This week, we are losing just over 4 minutes of daylight each day. I placed a string of lights on the mantel that add a cozy glow to our evenings. 

Today after school I did a wee bit of garden cleanup as our green bin was empty and tomorrow is the pickup day. I tore up the last of the zucchini plants, and the green bean vines. The zinnias and a few dahlias are still going strong, so I clipped a bouquet for the kitchen table. 

How are you enjoying these fleeting October days?

October Feast - Five on Friday

 

Welcome October - my favourite month of the year. It lies between summer and winter: cool enough to wear sweaters and not so cold or wet as to require heavier gear. Sunny golden days intersperse with a few darker, rainy ones. Thanksgiving is towards the beginning, and my birthday towards the end. As Anne of Green Gables once said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." It's a veritable feast for the senses!

1. On a recent sunny afternoon I took a walk and found lots of cyclamen blooming in clumps along the wooded path. Their colour isn't typical of autumn, but how pretty that pink is in the sunlight. Such a beautiful sight. 

2. Maple leaves glow red and yellow before they fall to dry and curl into brown crispiness that crunches when stepped on, or rustles in the wind. When caught by a passing car the leaves scuttle, dry and rasping, across the street to pile up in drifts that are perfect for scuffling through. Other autumn sounds include the honking of geese as they trail in ragged V formations across the sky.

3. October cooking fills the house with delicious smells to whet the appetite. The gentle fragrance of a steaming cup of tea is a wonderful complement to Applesauce Muffins. Savoury beef stew, redolent with red wine, browned beef cubes, and lots of vegetables. Warming White Chicken Chili, put into the slow cooker before I leave for work, provides several meals for the two of us. Soups and stews are accompanied by buttermilk biscuits, toasted sourdough bread, or savoury zucchini loaf for meals that fill and satisfy. 

4. On a sun-filled Saturday, a salad composed of roasted red winter squash, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy grated carrots, and crisp lettuce, with a sprinkle of dried cranberries for sweetness, some sunflower seeds for more crunch, and a blue cheese dressing created a combination that tasted good on so many levels. 

On a Friday or Saturday evening I've been popping a small bowl of popcorn for myself (Tim's not crazy about popcorn), and enjoying the salty, buttery corn taste. I also like it with some butter and cinnamon sugar. 

Cinnamon and cloves, freshly grated nutmeg and cardamom add so much warmth flavour to baked goods during this season. 

5. Let's not forget the touches of autumn - the chill against my skin when I head out the door in the morning, the smoothness of home-grown winter squashes, the wet dew on the grass, and the sometimes surprising feel of unseen cobwebs across my face. There's the feeling of wind and rain, of sunshine on my back, and of snuggling under warm covers at night. 

This morning, on the way to school, the sun rose red and fiery in a fog and smoke-clouded sky. I stopped on a rise to capture a quick photo with my phone, around 8 am. 

How are your senses awakened to autumn? 

Five on Friday: Between Raindrops and Sunshine

 

Outside my window this Friday afternoon the trees are swaying in the wind and the sky is blue. How different it is from when I left this morning in the midst of pouring rain and dark skies, with the windshield wipers flapping madly. We've been through a few days of this back and forth weather. Summer has slipped quietly away and autumn's mercurial moods have replaced her. 

Yesterday when I arrived home, I took my camera out into the garden for the light was slanted and golden. Blossoms are dwindling, but the ones that remain are truly lovely. I planted a pot of pansies for the back patio and they are thriving. So much so that I believe I will fill another planter or two with them. They provide colour throughout most of the months until spring. 

Late raspberries continue to ripen. There are tomatoes, as well. I thought all the rain might split them, but so far, so good. Several plants are under shelter and they will provide us with tomatoes for another month or so, I think, unless it becomes very cold. I picked another zucchini, a few more green beans, and some blackberries. 

One of my parsley plants went to seed early in the summer. I've left it to grow tall and spindly because of these wonderful seed heads. I clip them for bouquets and love the shape that evokes stars and snowflakes in a mellow shade of green.

While driving today I noticed that pale brown leaves, crisp and dry, are tumbling along the roadways and drifting along the curbs. 

The hydrangeas above look a bit dull - there was no golden September light when I photographed them in between raindrops this morning. There continue to be a few new blossoms on these bushes - no dwindling light and copious rain seem to bother them yet. 

When I hear the rain pounding in the night, I think sometimes about my flowers - like the zinnias - wondering if they will be battered down when I wake up. However, in the morning they are standing tall as ever - bright spots on dark mornings. 

Another hydrangea mellowed to soft colours, and bright yellow rudbeckia beyond. The garden is thriving with this combination of rainfall and sunshine. I'm not minding it, either. I love hearing the rain outside and feeling the gusts of cool air through the open window against my face while I'm snuggled into my blankets. 

Weekend plans include some housekeeping and laundry, and I'd like to tidy my potting bench for the winter. A little reading and some sewing are also planned. Another quiet weekend at home, such as I find utterly satisfying. 

Wishing you the joys of autumn in your own corner of the world. (or spring, if you are from down under)

Autumn Magic

 

I had such a lovely weekend. No alarm clock, just time to lie quietly and wake up slowly. Leisurely meals. Clear skies. I spent some time in the garden, clipping flowers and gathering tomatoes, beans, zucchini, berries, and squash. The zinnias are magnificent, as are the few dahlias I planted. Rich shades of pink, magenta, fuschia, crimson, orange, gold, and fire-engine red. Rich shades that I plunked into vases and placed around the house. 

The grapes are ripening nicely and I have a recipe for roasted grapes with balsamic vinegar that I want to try soon. How beautifully the clusters hang from the vines, half hidden by leaves moved aside for photos. 

On Sunday afternoon we walked at Tod Inlet. The sun's warmth was just perfect and the light shimmered on the water and shot the changing leaves with gold. A long skein of Canada Geese trailed across the sky in a ragged V formation. 

Arbutus trees shed their bark in curls of papery red to reveal smooth, pale green trunks. 

After descending these stairs I turned around for a photo and it was only then that I noticed the tree curving in an arch over the path. It seemed to me almost Narnian - one of the dryad trees, perhaps, leaning to protect something unseen. 

We wandered off the main path - to look at the stream, virtually dry just now - to explore a new view - and we dawdled in the loveliness, a bit unwilling to leave. 

Home, finally, to bake a Peach Custard Tart. It was so good. Some family joined us for a light supper and we devoured most of the tart. The peaches have been spectacular this year, full of summer sweetness. I adapted a number of recipes for this tart and I'll try to write down what I did so that I can post it on my recipe blog to replicate another time. 

And now Monday is gone - a busy but satisfying day at school. I'll close with a line from Emily of New Moon, a Lucy Maud Montgomery character who is not as well-known as Anne of Green Gables, but equally lovely and incorrigible. 

"Good-bye, and may you always see a happy face in your looking glass." 

Happy days to you all. 

Five on Friday: Abundance, Nostalgia, Beginnings

 

In many ways, September seems more like the start of a new year than January. We grow up beginning a new school year in September, with new clothes, freshly sharpened pencils, and a stack of clean notebooks to fill with knowledge. As a parent, that rhythm continued through elementary and high school and university. And of course, as a teacher this rhythm defines my years. Now I've come to my last semester of teaching - I will finish at the end of January. But I think that September will always hold that sense of new beginnings. Does it still hold true for you?

We are experiencing very warm weather just now, sunny and golden, with cool nights. Smoke from the state of Washington has drifted north and covers our skies, colouring our sunsets with intense orange and red. Tim and I eat dinner outside on the patio, enjoying the sunshine for as long as we can. 

Every couple of days I pick a small bowlful of raspberries and another of blackberries. Our neighbour planted thornless blackberries (they still have thorns) and they grow luxuriantly over the fence into our garden where we are encouraged to pick whatever we can. Berries and peaches make a fine accompaniment to morning yogurt and granola. 

After a very slow and rocky start we are enjoying bountiful tomatoes. This weekend I plan to make salsa, and perhaps some tomato sauce. There will be roasted tomatoes tucked away in the freezer - perfect for a quick soup. 

Try to Remember the Kind of September, sung here by Josh Groban, evokes memories of my Grade 12 high school year. The lyrics are written in the front pages of my yearbook. That September, a group of eight young men, fellow students, decided to take one last canoeing trip before cold weather set in. They mistakenly put into the river above a log jam and were caught by the turbulent water and debris. All of them died. Our class was a large one (800 students), and I didn't know these boys well, but I remember the pall of unspeakable tragedy that covered the school. I pulled out my yearbook this afternoon and looked once again at their photos, and thought of the grief of parents and family and friends. September is when I remember them. 

I have an abundance of reading material these days. I'm still not ready for anything too demanding and have thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself once again into the English village of Fairacre where Miss Read teaches. The Dutch House was a hold from the library before it shut down last spring. It has reopened in a limited fashion. We can now order books online to pick up in a cordoned off area of the library and that makes me very happy. The two books at the top are ones I gave to one of our granddaughters for her birthday in June. They are about a young girl who wants to become a food critic and are filled with humour and engaging characters. Fun to read and then discuss them with Sadie. 

Another little person will be joining our family in a few months and I've started a fun sea-themed quilt. Can you make out the green whales on the navy fabric? We are all absolutely thrilled that our Vancouver family will be moving to the Island in a few weeks and the baby will be born here, a sibling for Iris. 

 

My first day of full classes was today. I was knackered by the end of it. Because of the pandemic there are new procedures and an entirely new schedule. My senior Spanish class meets for 2.5 hours every day for 10 weeks. That's first thing in the morning, followed by two shorter classes of Grade 9 and 10 Spanish. The Junior students run on a different schedule than the senior ones and we have no bells. I've set alarms on my phone to remind me when classes change. It was so good to see the students again and to interact with them in person. We do not need to wear masks in the classroom unless I am circulating around. I can keep a good distance from the students from the front of the room, necessary because I teach across grades. Each grade is a "learning group" - a large bubble that can interact freely. We will see how it all pans out, but we sanitize regularly and have extra cleaning staff. 

Last night I baked Date Loaf. One to eat now and one for the freezer. I cut a thick slice and enjoyed it with butter for a snack. I like Date Loaf better than Banana Loaf. Tim does, too. 

This has been a rather wordy post and I'll stop now. Thank you all for your lovely comments on my posts. I value the blogging community and enjoy my interactions with you all. I hope that your September is filled with loveliness. 

Slow Weekend

Outside my window the birds are mad for the suet and seed that was recently replenished. A small Chestnut-backed Chickadee peers around the corner of the feeder to keep watch over the much larger bird on the other side. 

In turn, the woodpecker peeks shyly at me, not wanting to reveal too much of himself. 

The red accents on the House Finch caught my eye and I snapped a quick photo. Only when looking at it later on the computer did I realize that two other birds, perhaps female House Finches, are in the photo as well. 

A Northern Flicker perches on the highest, wavering branch of the cedar hedge. Skies are grey today with rain in the forecast, and possible freezing rain. I'd much rather have snow. 

It's not nearly 5 pm yet, but the lights are all on. I just finished watching another episode of The Crown, Season Three. Have you been watching? I find this season much more introspective and thus, assumes motivations and thoughts of the Royal Family. However, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I rarely watch television during the day, so I'm feeling very indulgent on this quiet and dark afternoon. 

We've been away quite a lot recently and it's so nice to be at home. I went to a craft fair this morning, did several loads of laundry, made granola, and the house is filled now with the scent of simmering turkey stock. I read on Jean's blog, Delightful Repast, about making the gravy for turkey dinner ahead of time. I'm planning to cook a turkey for Christmas (we celebrated Thanksgiving in October), and it will be such a time-saver to have the gravy made ahead. I find it always a last minute thing to do, when the kitchen is full of people and activity. It's certainly smelling good just now.

Christmas preparations are beginning slowly here - I have a few gifts purchased and a few others in the works. There are lingering roses in the garden, and bright berries. Leaves are mostly fallen although the tree across the street from us has plenty of gold left on it. One late creamy rose blends well with other garden finds to make Autumn in a Teacup. 

My goal for the next week is to do at least one little thing each day to prepare for Christmas. No decorating quite yet, but there is stitching and baking and writing to do. 

For all my American readers - I wish you the joy of family and friends as you celebrate Thanksgiving Day.