Saturday 23 October 2010

Things I'm noticing this autumn...

The low sun making dark shadows and warped reflections. This is a shadow of the honesty I picked from the garden, and some of my blue glass bottles. I love coloured glass. And it doesn't have to be expensive glass. A Bristol Cream sherry bottle is beautiful when seen against the light!


For fifty weeks of the year the Virginia Creeper is a complete pain in the wotsit. It doesn't creep, it rampages, smothering the lilac tree and threatening the border beneath. But for a fortnight in autumn the crimson leaves are just stunning.




Firethorn berries. I'm told birds eat red berries first, then orange and lastly yellow. This seems true in my garden as the wood pigeons have stripped all the red berries from the cotoneaster next to this bush, but so far they haven't touched the Firethorn at all. The blackbirds always go for the Firethorn, but so far they must be finding something more appetising.




Dewy cobwebs. Isn't nature amazing? All the spider wants to do is catch its food. And look what it creates in the process.









Skeletal seedheads.



I didn't think the trees looked as heavy with apples this year. Once we started picking I realised how wrong I was. I took three boxes from the lower branches, then our neighbours came with their ladders and picked a further fourteen boxes! On the side of our house is what my mother would call a lobby, but people down here seem to call a utility room. For several days it smelt like a cider factory while I found homes for all the apples.

15 comments:

Old Kitty said...

Oh what a beautiful and stunning autumnal themed post!! How lovely!!!

I fancy a glass of Bristol Cream sherry now or even some cider! LOL!!

I didn't know about the methodical way birds go for with the different types of coloured berries - I'll be watching now!

Cobwebs - I do like them and a garden isn't a garden without them! :-)

Apples, lotsa apples!! Yum!

A lobby! These days that's like a waiting area/in between space. A utility room for me is where the washing machine is kept! LOL!

I prefer the name Cider Factory. LOL!

Take care
x

Anonymous said...

I am so intrigued by cobwebs... Love the coloured glass shows too... beautiful post :)

joanne fox said...

Kitty, maybe I should rechristen it the Cider Factory! It is indeed where the washing machine and fridge live, but I grew up with the word lobby for these little add-ons to the sides of houses, so that's how I continue to think of it!

Hi Reenie, welcome to Zigzag Road and thanks for visiting!

Anonymous said...

Stunning photos, I love autumn, its my favourite season.

larainydays said...

Ah, Autumn! You captured it beautifully.

Joanna said...

Absolutely beautiful, Joanne. I love autumn and you've summed it up so beautifully. I particularly love the spider's web. And I think I can smell those apples. Like Kitty, I really fancy some Harvey's Bristol Cream right now.

joanne fox said...

Sherry and apple crumble all round then. x

bazza said...

Reading this post made me glow with an inner, autumnal warmth! In Essex the autumn seems slow to get going in terms of falling leaves; they are mostly still on the trees.

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

I'm not so fond of spiders - but their webs are works of art.

XX

joanne fox said...

Wishing you a glowing autumn, Bazza, and a spider-free one Suzanne. x

Ellie Garratt said...

The photo of the cobweb is spectacular! Actually, all the pictures are stunning.

There are some Firethorn berries in the neighbours garden and the colour is so vivid. I must take some pictures myself.

HelenMWalters said...

What wonderful photos. You've really captured the spirit of the season.

THE SNEE said...

These photos along with your descriptions completely captured the magic of autumn. Do you have a special camera? I also love that you observe the birds and the berries. Though fall inevitably brings frigid temperatures that go deep into my bones, I love the season! That being said, I'm freezing right now(Our heat is on the fritz, and typing a clever...even remotely intelligible comment is challenging). BTW, I found you at Bazza's blog, To Discover Ice.

joanne fox said...

In answer to your question Snee, no I just have a very basic digital camera by Fuji. I would really like to move on to a digital SLR when funds allow, as I do enjoy taking pics. Hope your heating gets fixed soon!

Although having an extra hour in bed last night was bliss, now I'm dreading the dark winter evenings that will be following on soon. Brrr...

broken biro said...

I need a rampage of Virginia Creeper - to hide my next door neighbour's monstrous new wall. Please email cuttings... thanx