On days like this it's hard to believe it's autumn. It's still warm and nice to sit outside, basking in the sun and it feels like summer still. The temperature in my Victorian greenhouse gets high enough for the windows to open automatically. The fig inside the greenhouse is waving its green hands at me.
During summer I didn't see all that many butterflies but now there are so many of them fluttering about. They do so love the Verbena bonariensis and who can blame them as it is such a wonderful plant?.
Butterflies make you think of warm summer days, but spiders are the harbingers of autumn.
And spiders we have in vast quantities. It difficult to move about in the kitchen garden without disturbing at least a spiderweb or two. Sorry guys!
My sedums tell me it's autumn but the roses and phloxs whisper it's still summer.
Whom am I to believe? Is it summer or is it autumn now? The blue sky spells summer, my Amelanchier tells a different story.
And it's not the only one, because look what I found in my garden today; a big fat toadstool. Now where did that fairy go?
I know that the calender says autumn, but these last few summery, sunny days are precious, very precious in this part of the world. The days are getting shorter and shorter; soon it won't be light till around 9 in the morning and darkness will fall at half past 4 in the afternoon. Some days it will seem like the sun has gone awol as it really doesn't get light during the day at all. And many, many days in the months to come will be grey and wet and cold and dreary and gloomy. So I'm soaking up the sun while I still can, but I'm preparing for the dark and cold days ahead too.
Soon the only truly comfortable warmth will be provided by my wood stove. And I'll be waiting, waiting for the sun to get her strength up and get ready to kiss my garden back to life. Then another circle of life will begin.
copyright 2007: Y.E.W. HeuzenThe autumn always gets me badly, as it breaks into colours. I want to go south, where there is no autumn, where the cold doesn't crouch over one like a snow leopard waiting to pounce. The heart of the North is dead, and the fingers are corpse fingers.
D.H. Lawrence, letter to J.M. Murry, 3 Oct. 1924
35 comments:
Yolanda, you are so correct. We are having summer like days with the tempature in the low to mid 80's but the days are getting shorter. I hardly have any time to spend in the garden after work. Oh how I hate that. Still so many projects to complete or start. I guess there is always next year. I know there are a whole list of things to do in the house so I guess winter is good for one thing. Thanks for sharing. Cliff
Here too the weather is flirting with us; risk of frost on Sunday night, thunder yesterday, today muggy and warm. Several of my roses are putting on a fairly amazing show of flowers again--especially Polareis, a lovely fragrant rugosa--and we still have plenty of phlox in bloom, although also showers of 'David's petals around the dooryard look like harbingers of weather to come.
Autumn is lovely but I dread the coming of winter--like Dylan Thomas, I rage, rage against the dying of the light.
We are still having summer here, too. It is confusing to me! I actually want it to cool down some, instead of facing record high temperatures!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I'm ready for cooler weather too. I had quite a few butterflies visiting me today too. I hope we have a nice long autumn because I dread the dreary gray days of winter. Thankfully, our daylight lasts longer than yours, otherwise I might have to find my way back south.
Yes, yes, soak it all up while you can. In the depths of January, you will somehow draw on the reserve you stored up during these lovely days. I am doing the same. Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Wow, DH Lawrence was down on Autumn. Corpse fingers of winter, eh? A lifelong Southerner, I just can't imagine.
By the way, butterflies are a harbinger of fall here in Texas, as the monarchs pass through in October on their way to wintering grounds in Mexico.
Enjoy that sunshine. It really does look like summer there. The weather will stay nice for at least another month here.
Hi Yolanda,
Always nice to have a "summer'day in the autumn. Ideal to take a walk in aforest, park or along the beach. Still many flowering plants in you garden. There must be quite a few 'summer'days.
Ciao,
Bert
We too have a (Norweigen) woodstove and I am longing for evenings by the warmth of the fire! I love the autumn and winter seasons. Will we have cold this year enough to bring on the ice to skate???
Thanks for sharing your pretty garden.
~~ Heidi ~~
We too had a glorious day today and according to the weather forecast we will have another good one tomorrow! There is something very beautiful about the autumn sun!
YE: I love your fig waving! The long shadows really tell the tale in spite of the warm weather. Enjoy it while it lasts!
We will be in the mid to upper 80's F (29.5- 30.5 C)for the coming several days. Today was a humid and sweltering 85F and I believe they're forecasting this Sunday to be about 87 degrees F. We haven't had a cold snap yet but the leaves are starting to turn. The ash trees are always the first to turn and most of them are quite yellow. We have been dry for over a month now so that may be contributing to the premature color change. I guess we should enjoy this unofficial Indian Summer although you need a frost to be truly considered one.
It's just the same here; although the nights are loner and cooler the days have been quite sunny and warm. The garden seems to think it's Spring again with some Spring flowering plants in flower again; many of the Summer flowers are still with us but we also have the Autumnal colours creeping into the leaves. Very pretty but I wonder what affect it will have on next year. Happy Gardening.
Rx
En de spinnetjes worden alsmaar dikker....!Vanmorgen ook prachtig 'zomers' weer met een herfstig neveldekentje- dat heeft al weer vele foto's opgeleverd ;-)
En sp...y...het houtkacheltje hier heeft ook al weer gezellig geloeid..!
Hi Yolanda Elizabet,
It is hard to see that autumn is arriving there. Your roses look beautiful - I love the idea of the greenhouse windows opening at a certain temperatures. The fig wants to keep on climbing!
It is definitely autumn here since many trees have lost their leaves. Even on warm days, the sun loses its bite around 3:00. Luckily, we have much sunshine during the winter which makes the cold bearable.
Here too we are having nice sunny days, but hey, this is southern portugal, so that´s not unusual! The garden is in its prime as plants are awaking from the summer rest period. Everything is stil flowering and the buterflys are in large numbers (very few during the very hot summer days). Boy I do love autumn!
I want your greenhouse. That is one of the projects on the "Blue Sky" list of things to do out in the yard. My fig is hardy and doesn't need a greenhouse, but I want to have a lemon bush, and for that I really need a greenhouse.
It has been amazingly like summer here, it has been in the 80s every day. As you are well aware since you came and visited my blog and saw my pictures, I am well supplied with butterflies right now too.
I am trying to take advantage of the weather and getting my gardens mulched and ready for winter. To that end I fear I must dismount from the internet and go out and get my hands dirty.
Catch you later.
The plants know more than the calendar, and it looks like it's not quite autumn there, according to most of your plants.
Our autumn, which has begun, is more like a second spring, when everything starts greening up and growing again after the blistering summer.
Aiyana
The toadstool a sure sign that the fairies are near..listen for their tiny wings beating..shhh! We are also experiencing warmer autumn sunshine but I am still indoors snuggling with
the cats and resting.Happy weekend to you..I think it's time for another cat post from you! purzzzzzzzzzzzz NG
Eigentlich hat doch jede Jahreszeit ihre Vor- und Nachteile. Ich finde es gibt auch im Herbst & Winter viele schöne Dinge, Pflanzen und viel mehr gemütliche Momente. Und auch so ein klarer kalter Tag kann mich zeitweilig faszinieren. Aber das ist eben genauso eine Frage der Sichtweise wie bei einer alten Rose, die manchmal etwas muckelig ist...
Schönes Wochenende
Silke
Ohhh, you have Red Admiral butterflies in Europe too? They're one of my favorites here. V. bonariensis is still blooming here as well and there were at least 6 different species of butterflies on it yesterday afternoon. But the shadows from the trees some distance away now reach the garden in late afternoon, even though we are having very summerlike weather.
The autumn has come here in the south of Sweden but today we had a summerday too. In town there were a lot of people sitting outsides in the cafées!
Das habe ich mich heute auch gefragt, Yolanda. Sommer oder Herbst. Es war so war, dass wir in der Sonne auf der Terrasse gesessen haben und Eis geschleckt haben.
Deine Fotos wirken auch nicht gerade unheimlich herbstlich, abgesehen von den Sedümmern. Der Pilz, ach ja. Habe heute auch welche gepostet.
Schön dass wir uns auch noch an Schmetterlingen freuen dürfen, nicht wahr?
Ich wünsche Dir einen schönen sonnigen Sonntag.
LG Birgit
We have had sun and blue skies and summer weather here in Ontario too. I wonder what is happening to the weather.... the garden doesn't quite know whether it's in summer mode or switch to autumn!
Now I must keep my fingers crossed and knock on wood for the good eather to continue as my son is getting married in one week, and the wedding is outdoors!
Yolanda,
thank you for visiting my blog..
We sailed with Holland America Lines ship Volendam with many Dutch nationals on board. What a wonderful trip, meeting so many new people and sharing many hours together.
I love fall..
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
(Albert Camus)
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Gisela
Hi all and welcome to Bliss!
@ Cliff: I know how you feel. It isn't nice coming home from work and hardly be able to do anything in the garden because it's dark already.
@ Jodi: you're not the only one who's dreading the winter. ;-)
@ Carol: cool most of us can handle, it's the lack of daylight that's so hard to come to terms with. I hope it gets cooler soon at MDG.
@ Robin: I'm dreading those dreary grey days of winter too.
@ Cindy: yes, I'm storing up vast amounts of sunlight while I still can.
@ Pam: who can blame him? He was British so he had to go through that same looooooooong, dark, wet, cold and gloomy winter as I do.
@ Chigiy: how nice that you still have at least another month of good weather to come. Lucky you!
@ Bert: we're enjoying every single sunny day that we get in October as they are getting scarcer and scarcer. Soon there won't be any left.
@ Heidi: ice skating is something I enjoy too but it's been a while since we had a winter that brought us ice to skate on.
@ Libby: the autumn sun is special and something to enjoy while it shines.
@ Layanee: the fig is funny, I agree and yes, we're enjoying the good weather while it lasts.
@ Ki : wow that's pretty hot! It's much cooler here. Today will be around 18 C and sunny.
We are having extended summer weather as well. It is so unexpected to be wearing sandals and sleeveless tops in October. I still have many annuals in bloom ... and I'm enjoying them every day.
hello Yolanda, I have found a bunch of mushrooms under the shrubs, too. The flowers tell me it is like a late summer. The temperature is cooling down and days are getting shorter .... I have made the decision to enjoy it. :-) Have a nice week. Andrea
Ha autumn! How I which we had some and brake the monotony of this endless heat and humidity
Glad you are enjoying your fall weather. I'm jealous! The fall rains have started in my area. We generally have a Indian Summer sometime this month. I hope it comes soon,I have to much to do yet to clean up for winter. All the best you, BOB
That is such a soulful description of the change of season in your part.
Dear Yolanda, I was completely immersed in your writing, and though the winters here, in India, will be far less gloomy than what you have there, yet i could empathise with your feelings.
The trees and plants are the calender really aren't they. goodness knows what the long term effect will be if we are really managing to shift seasons...
There's those bird chandeliers again! Yolanda, you are taunting me, aren't you?
With your short winter days it's no wonder you make such a gorgeous summer garden. How nice to have that cozy wood stove to see you through the winter!
Soms als ik foto's van jou binnen bekijk, is het alsof ze hier gemaakt zijn. De houtkachel, maar ook de keukenvensterbank en de klok boven het kastje met de bloemen (latere log): het lijkt op hier! Daarom voel ik me op je blog ook thuis denk ik, al laat ik het wel eens na te reageren...
It's funny that so far across the world you have the exact same kind of fat spider camping out in your kitchen garden as I do here!
I love winter but have never lived in a place that gets as dark and cold as it does where you are. However, it does remain grey and wet for a long time and a lot of people find it depressing. I don't. I think it just makes the spring that much sweeter.
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