Autumn walks and uncovering unfinished projects...

The last couple of weeks have definitely had an autumnal feel but the last 2 days have seen some lovely sunshine, not with the heat of summer sun but enough to make a walk by Whitlingham Broad very pleasant. The leaves are only just beginning to turn but the hedgerows are full of hips and berries.

I love the sunlight on the water - I have done this walk many times, and probably taken hundreds of very similar photographs but I never tire of it...

After a 9 1/2 mile round trip walk I indulged a little crafty time in front of the television - some time ago I came across this WIP tucked in a pillow case in a drawer in my spare room, with my wedding veil of all things! Goodness knows why I had stowed it away like that but I guess I must have had a reason! 

This pattern was in a 1993 Prima magazine...

...and has been tucked away for almost all of that time! I started knitting it when I was pregnant with my third child, who has just had his 25th birthday! I'm not quite sure what possessed me to start a baby blanket when I had a 4 year old, a 2 year old, had just moved house and was due to have baby number 3...! Needless to say, I hadn't got very far!

It looks a complicated pattern but actually, is very easy, knitted in small squares and sewn together into 7 larger squares.  When I found it, I had completed just 8 small squares. Although there are no babies pending (that I know of!) I thought I may as well finish it and then put it away again in the hope that it might be used one day. Each small square takes me an evening so really it hasn't taken long to get to this stage...

 The yarn is Sirdar Soft Cotton 4 ply - I'm not sure if you can still buy exactly the same yarn, think this pre-dates mercerised yarns so it does have a slight tendency to be a bit splitty but it is beautifully soft and drapey.

Just the border to finish now...

I don't usually use anything so fine and certainly not just in white but it does feel very traditional and I do love it. And it has made me want to get another project underway because, inevitably, it looks as though there are going to be a couple of balls over... Might just have to go and get a bit more 4 ply, maybe with a bit of colour and hmmm...maybe a soft, cottony, drapey crochet blanket...?

S x

Autumn walks...

I think this is the time of year for misty days, muted colours and cool breezes. There is a dampness in the air and, although the first few days of November have been unusually mild, my walks this week have been typical of that. 

Last Sunday I walked with a friend through the woods at Fairhaven Gardens. There were some slightly random things dotted about from a hallowe'en event the night before (spot the mummy hanging from the tree?!) but in spite of that it was beautiful and slightly ethereal in the mist...

Lovely autumn colours and low light...

Hazy reflections on the broad...

If it hadn't been so damp, I think there would have been a satisfying crunch underfoot...

Funny how you can live so close to somewhere most of your life and never know it's there. These are huge trees that dwarfed us...

Then this Sunday I walked with another friend along the coast from Walberswick to Dunwich. There was a stiff breeze off the sea but the light and the sound of the waves was just restorative.

I don't relish the slide towards winter and short grey days but there is undoubtedly something special about this season as much as any other.

S x

winter already?!

How did that happen? Two weeks ago we went for a lovely walk, on a Sunday afternoon, warm enough to walk in shirt sleeves. Yes, it looked a bit autumnal - the leaves were thinning and the light had that slightly golden quality but there was still real warmth in the sunshine.

And the skies were blue...

...reflected in the water...

There were golden leaves on the branches but plenty of green ones too...

...and it was absolutely warm enough for a cold glass of golden bubbles to be enjoyed...

So how much of a shock has it felt for the temperature to suddenly drop about 10C, even if this is what we should be expecting for early November!

But it has been a good opportunity to do some therapeutic clearing in our little courtyard. The plants were so overgrown that I took a deep breath and then did some major pruning, digging and sawing. Three car-loads later (the buddleia had a 4inch trunk!), it looks a bit bare but I uncovered a couple of roses, a peony and several bulbs already trying to peep through. My little table is a bit more exposed now but I hope next year the plants will grow back healthier and easier to manage. And, worst case scenario, if the old plants like the buddleia and hydrangea (I discovered the 20 year old hydrangea was actually in a 12inch plastic pot, with its poor roots trying to force through the holes) don't survive the shock, then I will have to think about replacing them.

I'm sure lots of the plants have self sown over the years. that grassy thing in the background (which has vicious sword like leaves and underwhelming seedheads) had a much bigger brother where the pots are standing, which had been there so long that the centre of it was completely choked with dead leaves. It had made getting to the table in the summer something of an obstacle challenge so I spent about 3 backbreaking hours digging it out altogether  and have planted out wallflowers, lavender and tulips, which I hope will fill the space with colour until I can think a bit more about what shrubs or perennials might be more suitable. I think the other grassy thing will go too at some point, but I'm not sure the neighbours (or my back, come to that!) would have coped with any more clearing. There is something of a delicate balance gardening a shared courtyard - I'm the only one who really does anything out there but, technically, the ownership is shared so it does feel a bit like hacking back someone else's hedge!

I needed a bit of colour out there so have planted the pots with cyclamen, primroses, pansies, narcissi, tulips and forget-me-nots. Makes me feel optimistic about the promise of spring.

This space is where the hydrangea was; it grew across the path and on wet days its saucer-like leaves had a habit of emptying water over you on your way in and out of the house. So, I cut it out of its pot and planted it in the ground, then replaced it with this red cordyline and some winter heather, underplanted with bulbs (can't remember what I put in this pot so that will be a nice surprise!). In all honesty, I'm not quite sure this goes hugely well with all the 'cottage garden' plants but if it just brightens my pathway for the winter that's fine by me.

I have decided life is full of compromises, some of which you don't expect to have to face, but all of which have positive sides too and its about embracing new opportunities rather than feeling too sad about the things you've had to leave behind. The last few years have taught me that you cannot predict the responses of others, even if you think you know them very well, and that some friendships and relationships have to be consigned to memory. Similarly, the things I thought I couldn't manage without, actually, are really very few. Sure, I do miss a 'proper' garden and I would love to be able to hang washing out in the breeze... But, I love to be able to just walk out of my door and be in the city in minutes. This is my regular route into town...

...and home again...

Could be very much worse. And I am still discovering new open spaces and walks that are not far at all from home. This little walk is just minutes from the university but feels as though you are in open countryside. With a very friendly little donkey and his horse friend just wandering by the river...

I'm not good at winter. I dread the short days and feel miserable in the cold. But I am conscious that life is precious, and short, and I am determined to not spend that time feeling sorry for myself. I have a family that I love and friends who keep me sane. And it really is ok to have time to be alone sometimes. There is lots out there to be thankful for.

And, oh my goodness, it really must be winter - because this is round the corner...!

Best get on with the day!!

S x

wintry walks...

Today was one of the first really 'properly' cold wintry mornings, freezing air but bright sun burning off the light frost. I had an unexpected but of free-ish time today so was determined to get outside for a bit and think of something other than estate agents, solicitors, packing etc etc...

Inevitably the day sort of ran away with itself - why are there always a zillion jobs to do and each takes much longer than it feels like it should? But eventually, I did get out and headed to a favourite spot just a few minutes from the city where it is possible to March off a few cobwebs.

I arrived after 3pm so the sun was already low in the sky...

...and casting long shadows. There was just the odd spot of rain and when I turned to look down the broad there was just the end of a rainbow dipping behind the trees...

I do think there is something stunning about open skies and water - even in the cold it was beautiful and by the time I'd walked round the broad the clouds were tinged with pink as the sun started to disappear.

The camera doesn't really do justice to the colour of the leaves which were vivid oranges and yellows amongst the green and brown...

One final look back and I realised the sky was darkening, and not just because it was getting towards dusk...

Just as I got to the car the heavens opened...

But just for that hour or so, it was bliss to be out and breathe some cold fresh air in before rejoining the madness of day to day.

Made me think I must make more effort to do this more often again!

Sx

mid-month photo and October in the garden...

If you visit here regularly you'll know I've been taking a photo of my garden on 15th of each month to try to get a feel for the changes that happen through the year. I've tried to take it from almost the same place but have to admit that has probably drifted a bit because in January I hadn't anticipated the amount the trees would grow over the year! I am not feeling very inspired by this little project as, to be honest, I realise now that, at least from a distance, my garden looks pretty samey much of the time! So I've tried each month to add some snippets of colour or interest from around the garden and, because I'm not very good at letting things go part way through, I will persevere until the end of the year!

October 15th was bright and crisp and surprisingly difficult to photograph! The sun was very low in the sky and from the house, casting long shadows down the garden which made the light have strong contrasts.

The leaves have gone from several of the trees already and much of the borders are looking a bit tired and tatty. I am working with the theory that its much better for the insects to have somewhere to hide out in the cold weather so am not going to go out and tidy until the spring! I get much more pleasure out of the wildlife than pulling up weeds so it can just stay as it is!

There is a bit of colour out there still...

The late September burst of heat has meant that almost all the tomatoes have ripened this year. Given the huge glut of plum chutney from earlier in the year, probably good we don't have a glut of green tomatoes too!

The sedums are always good value...

and the creeper and the holly berries add a splash of red to brighten things up...

From the bottom of the garden the sun was just beginning to appear over the top of the roof and the sun was streaming down...

I'm not good with this time of year. I hate the approach of winter with its dark mornings and evenings and am permanently cold. It makes me feel as though I'm meant to go into some dormant state somewhere until the sun comes out again (this could be 6 months in the UK!). But when I look at these pictures I realise that even on the cold days there is sunshine and colour and that lifts my spirits. This year I am going to try very hard to look for the lovely bits to keep me going - there are things I love, candlelit evenings, crisp winter walks, snuggly blankets, warming winter soups, family time... I just need to keep reminding myself its not all grey and cold!

Sx