Essence of November

Well, here we are at the weekend!  But today I am looking back to last Sunday, when son no.3 and I went out with our cameras on a damp, chilly November afternoon.  He had a photography project to complete for a university assignment, so I took the chance to go out with him.  He had a top-of-the-range camera (borrowed from uni) and I had my little camera with me.  I had a great time helping him to compose shots, and of course managed to do a lot of snapping of photos myself.  Some folks would have thought the weather and the light and the general dampness quite depressing, but is really is my favourite kind of weather for my favourite time of year.  And we had a lovely time chatting away, he really was super company.  At first he was a little self-conscious about taking photos if anyone was about but as soon as he saw his dear old mother taking her photos with not a care in the world he soon got into the spirit of things.

 

So here are some of the many photos I took!

 



 Walking down this footpath the trees looked glorious...

Misty countryside in all it's splendour...

Autumn leaves...

Fascinating fungi, I love their ethereal beauty...

Melancholy signs of decay...

Grand old houses...

"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance.  What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?" -   Hal Borland

Have a lovely late November weekend!



Helenxx

Fungi Foray

Since being a young child I have been fascinated by fungi.  We used to go walking in the local woods, looking at all the extraordinary examples of fungi and then have a go at identifying them with a Collins Little Gem book. 

These days I love to take photos of the fleeting beauty of fungi - many species are here today - gone tomorrow.  So, with long-suffering DH in tow I visited our local Outwoods and started snapping away, often crawling on the floor to get the best shots.  Love that macro setting :)

So, here are some of the shots I managed to get - sit back and enjoy!

Love the green of the moss in this photo...

peeking from amongst the fallen leaves...

Parasol mushroom, can almost imagine fairies sheltering beneath it...

bracket fungi on a fallen birch log...

Small cluster of toadstools, these really were quite tiny...

Beefsteak fungi, this was blood red in reality...

I love the way that fungi makes the most of dead wood, true recycling at its best...

spotted these just at the edge of the path amongst a cluster of hazel trees...

Underside of bracket fungi, I love the patterning.  I can just imagine how Marimekko use natural inspiration for their designs when I see this picture. 

A fun afternoon, even DH got into the act in the end, pointing out examples I had missed.  However, I will need to go back to the woods soon as I did not, on this occasion, see any examples of the red and white spotted Fly Agaric.  Any excuse really to visit the woods, especially in the Autumn, is fine by me!

Helenxx

Slip sliding away...

...towards my favourite season of all, Autumn. 

Over the past week or so, the evenings are starting to draw in. Lamps and candles are lit at around 8pm, I am loving the scented candles particularly.  I have a real thing for Yankee Candles, they are the best I have tried (and trust me, I have tried many!!)  Mornings are chilly and misty, with the sun low over the horizon until about 7am.

I am now back to work, although the students won't be back for another couple of weeks, so have had the chance to get a little ahead of the game so to speak.  But driving to and from work, I have started to notice little, tiny signs of autumn being just around the corner, not quite in view as yet - but the summer is slowly but surely "Slip Sliding Away".

Yesterday, DH and DD decided to go for a stroll in our local Outwoods, nothing too strenuous as I am still recovering from illness that started back in May (and that took a bit of a grim turn last week when I was sent for some urgent tests at hospital which to my great relief and gratitude, came back clear.  Still more tests to come, but these are for things that wouldn't have such a bad outcome).

And of course, a gentle stroll means lots of opportunities to stop, look around, reflect on the beauty evident all around us.  At first, the woods looked still pretty much in summer mode, but on closer investigation, there really are clear signs of autumn.

Fungi popping up after the recent rains...

leaf-strewn pathways...

autumnal colour starting to peep through...

mellow fruitfulness...

the berries of Lords and Ladies...

promise of things to come soon on one of the forest information signs...

beautiful birch bark...

so much beauty, if only we stop for a minute and look around us.

Have a lovely Sunday, Helenxx

Bluebell Woods - and a new challenge...

Hi everyone, hope you have had a good week.  It has been nice to have a week off work, even though we have had a very heavy revision schedule here - GCSEs and final year of A levels.  But there have been interludes of fun things, like our road trip to Derbyshire and tea at our dear friends home.

Last Monday DH was also on holiday and we just felt like a walk - nothing too much, just a gentle stroll.  As we were preparing for something more challenging the day after... So we jumped in the car and drove up to our local Outwoods.  At this time of year it is bluebell season, and my goodness what a beautiful sight to behold!  So please, settle down, grab a cuppa and enjoy some bluebell loveliness....

Such amazing colour...

The perfume of these little flowers was heavenly....

Of course, as always, there was plenty of other things to see, I loved how the sunlight cast shadows on these ancient volcanic rocks:

Vibrant green moss on this piece of wood caught my eye, love the colour combinations and the textures, quite similar to some of the colours in my crochet challenge blanket...

And of course, how could I just pass by these lovely examples of birch bark and fungi...

As I mentioned in my last post, I just love silver birch trees, I went to our local garden centre yesterday to scope them out for a future gardening project, but they didn't have any in stock :(

I would love to buy some of this lovely fabric from Marimekko, but  I would feel terribly nervous sewing with it as it is so, so beautiful....

image courtesy of Google

...although I guess it would look great as a panel for a wall hanging...now there's a thought...and a legit reason for going to Helsinki to buy some, well saving on postage don't you know....;)

Well, time to stop daydreaming for now, as I am tutoring my daughter through her Art and Textile sketchbook compilation - have to give a shout out to my bestest friend Sue here, who has also been offering loads of support and supplies (we owe you BIG time dear friend!!)

We are going back up to the Outwoods later on, but this time there won't be any time or chance to snap photos as DH and I have both decided that we need to improve our fitness and so, spurred on by our sons, we have embarked this week upon the Couch25K programme - no laughing please!!  We did our first session this week, oh my goodness, it was very, very tough!!!  But actually felt loads better afterwards.  So it is session two today - lets see how we get on!!!  It was either this or the gym (which I hate with a vengeance, I find it totally boring) so we have chosen a route in the Outwoods, which is lovely - and I am sure it is even more beneficial as we get the fresh air as well!  Luckily we didn't see anyone we know as we were shattered by the end!

Have a lovely Saturday, Helenxx