Transition

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The transition has begun.

Knitting has been brought out from hibernation.

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The final seeds have been sown.

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And  the flowers and herbs continue to thrive in the potager beds, the warmth of the gravel and stones keeping them in a summer state.

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Seasonal adjustments are happening all over the northern hemisphere, as the days draw close to balance and equinox. 

 

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Berries are in abundance this year, some say a sign of a harsh winter, but that’s to be seen.

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Cotoneaster, Hazel, Blackcurrant and Fuschia all here together.

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The changing colours are so very gentle and subtle, but they’re there if one looks…

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Blackberries ripen near the stone circle, as the leaves mottle and turn towards Autumn.

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The Sloes on the Blackthorn are ready to pick…these will make some fine Sloe Gin for Midwinter.

The Sloes are pricked with a pin and pushed into a bottle half-filled with Gin.

The bottle is then sealed and buried in the earth until Yuletide celebrations, when it is ceremoniously dug up and partaken of!

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Deep within the Fairy Wood, Autumn creates some more magic…

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These tiny mushrooms are growing on a dead branch of Goat Willow.

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Crocosmia Monbretia in all its Autumn glory.   

18 comments

  1. oh, so very lovely.

    this morning, when i went out to let the chickens out, i saw there were wild geese on the pond — a sure sign that things are changing. i’ve heard the same about the berries…local wisdom around here says the same about the walnuts. sure enough, last autumn there was a profusion of them and we had a very harsh winter — i’ll be checking the trees very closely when i walk later today!

    i had to laugh when i saw your knitting — i just pulled out my tub of yarn yesterday for an inventory and have been noodling over my Yule craft lists!!

    thank you for sharing your beautiful land — in words and pictures.

    xo

  2. Well.Colette…..I shall be thinking of you as I leap the bulls at the Palace of Knossos!
    After that it is an induction into the cult of The Snake Goddess.
    .What more can a woman want? 🙂
    Thanks for your great blog
    I have promised myself that the laptop will be firmly closed for awhile…..
    Twitter on! xxx

  3. thank you for a beautiful post that conjures up completely the feel of impending change. it never fails to surprise me every year …. I hit a period in midsummer when the thought of autumn and winter fills me with reluctance to let go of the sunny days but every year a certain day comes along when I suddenly feel different and relish the thought instead. and like you bring my knitting back out, plan baking days and look forward to starting to slow down and cosy up. you have such a wonderful ability with your words and pictures to capture the feel of the changing seasons, I always feel I’m actually experiencing what you so kindly share. have a blessed day, much love x

  4. Your writing and photos makes me long for Autumn again, even though we are on the brink of Spring here….however, when I look out to the paddock, and see our five baby lambs born this week frolicking around their mothers, and check daily on the 9 fluffy goslings hatched last week and being so carefully shepherded by their parents, and notice all the new flowers on the finger lime bushes, promising a great crop this summer, then I remember that each season has its magic, just waiting for us to observe it…if we take time to look.

  5. Lovely post. I must say i love seeing the knitting making an appearance. It does help with the transition. I feel myself resisting the end of summer but know that autumn and winter will come in its own time and I will be ready and happy to sit by the fire and re-introduce myself to knitting something useful, and enjoying the new colors and textures of the winter landscape. Thanks!

  6. Your photos are lovely, hopefully in a few years, our life will also slow down as my wife and i step out from the rat-race into the west of Ireland. X

Your comments are welcome!