Tree Tuesday

This week we have glorious fall colour from Avalus,

Lets begin with some brightly coloured leaves from the first of October.

Golden walnut trees, red wild grapes and assorted green plants.

And it was quite good timing, just half a week later, the walnuts were all leafless.

Your timing was perfect, Avalus. All that deep, rich autumn colour shot against a clear blue sky. Thanks so much for sharing.

Herbstfarben, ©Avalus, all rights reserved

Herbstfarben, ©Avalus, all rights reserved

Herbstfarben, ©Avalus, all rights reserved

Signs of Autumn

 

The signs of autumn from Nightjar,

These are the four signs that I look for every year before I can safely declare autumn has arrived. Leaf colour, autumn snowflakes, mushrooms and green grass. I was able to check all four boxes by the end of October, which is good!

 

1. Leaves change colour and glow in the sun

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Jack’s Walk

First Snow, ©voyager, all rights reserved

We woke up this morning to the first snow of the season and it was such a pretty sight. I love when the snow first falls and covers the dull browns and grays of the world with a crisp blanket of white. It gets so quiet and today even the sound of passing cars was muffled. We had a lovely, slow stroll around our neighbourhood and the falling snow was mesmerizing. It won’t last, though. Already it’s turned into rain (again!) and soon there won’t be a trace of it left.

 

October Light

From Nightjar,

I took these photos in a mid-October evening when it still hadn’t rained enough and everything was still looking a bit late summer-like (meaning all dried-up), but illuminated with lovely golden autumn light. October light is the best, so I had to have some fun with it.

The light in these photos is downright magical. I love every single shot, but the 2 fluffy seed pods (dandelion?) caught on a single thread of spider web is my favourite. Thanks for sharing Nightjar.

©Nightjar, all rights reserved

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The Morning Was Made of Magnesium

That might be a slight exaggeration, but the sunshine through mist was certainly a treat for the eyes. Photos from one morning out in the country.

One photo from the bedroom window, just in case I missed the beauty by the time I got dressed.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Down in the appleyard, an air of mystery was dominating the scene.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

The bees, though, were casting shadows.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Apple season is over, but the spiders are still hopeful for a hearty meal.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

The morning was so wonderfully bright; the future is far more murky. Today of all days, I send my good wishes out to those of you at the electoral crossroads. My reservoir of hope isn’t empty yet, but the edge of despair is never far.

Jack’s Walk

Dreary November Day, ©voyager, all rights reserved

Drizzling. Dreary. Drab. In other words, the weather hasn’t changed. Jack and I decided to go to the forest hoping the canopy would help keep us dry, but too many leaves are down and there was really no protection at all. I’m normally a fairly easy-going person, but this constant damp has me feeling irritable and out of sorts. At least Jack doesn’t seem to mind and his wagging tail and happy smile sure help to make being outside passably tolerable. Still, it’s good to be home and I might just hide out here for the rest of the day.

Abandoned Pieces of a Life

* I wonder if I should apologize for once again bringing up the rather weighty topic of death – late autumn and early winter seems to be a pensive time, and the dark nights and misty mornings are ideal for darkly wandering thoughts. Also, this season, until the solstice, is traditionally known as veļu laiks – “the time of spirits”, where the souls of dead ancestors are, for a while, released back into the world, to tread through the fog on familiar paths, and be welcomed into the household. In olden times, extra place settings would be set out, and foods left by the door to feed the hungry ghosts. This is not to say that there are no celebrations – there is at least one more harvest festival coming up soon, and the dark season is also rife with mummers and random visits in costume to one’s nearest neighbours. But one must also be wary out on the roads, especially after nightfall, so be kind to your ancestors and remember them well (the ones who deserve it, at least). In any case, the point of this ramble is that I feel affected and the lack of sunlight is very conducive to not only depressing thoughts, but also existential themes. Not everyone has to follow me, though. I promise I won’t haunt you about it.

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Macedonia 7 – Coming Down the Mountain

Back in Macedonia, having taken the ropeway to the top of the mountain, I decided to walk down – there’s a paved road, and I was told it only takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. I suppose that’s 45 minutes if you don’t stop for photos along the way, which I did. A couple of times. It’s a nice walk with several gorgeous views and a lot of hairpin turns before the bottom, very quiet and isolated and, that time of year, with few people to meet along the way, except for the random cyclist coasting at speed. Along the way, which is the story I wanted to tell, I came upon a group of 5 or 6 inebriated young men. Not that there’s much to tell, because I did my best to walk past them without bringing undue attention to myself.

Of course, this was not possible – I don’t speak much Macedonian, but I’m pretty sure the things they yelled after me were not particularly polite. As soon as I’d turned the first bend with them out of sight, I took it upon myself to jog the next few turns, and carried a stack of prickles down my spine the rest of the way (more than half). At least they were going up the mountain.

In any case, I haven’t run through so many escape scenarios in my head for a long, long time. It was hard to go back to just enjoying the scenery and surrounding nature. But because I did enjoy it, you can, too.

 

Yellow flower.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

It was a sign.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Nice paved roads.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

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Some Really Fun Guys from Austria

As promised, I brought back some photos of Austrian mushrooms. These guys really know how to have fun. But first, a small scene setter (okay, two, because I couldn’t choose):

Couldn’t see much of the valley through the trees along the trail, and the sun was rather faint.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

And then there were the open spaces.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Click through to the fun guys themselves:

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Some Really Fun Guys

Last weekend (or was it two weekends ago already?) the family and I had the opportunity to catch one of the last shining golden days of autumn, and we went out to the local nature reserve / park / artificial lake / walking trail. Thingy. It was well worth the effort, and along the way, I saw many fun guys having a great time in the damp moss beneath the pines. First, let me set the mood:

Gold everywhere.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

And then the party started…

This fun guy was having fuzzy feelings all over.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

This fun guy was just trying to blend in.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

This fun guy was lolling about in the needles.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

This fun guy was taking a break.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

This fun guy was moving up the social ladder.
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

This fun guy was kind of alien, and I’m pretty sure – no fun guy at all!
©rq, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

And a final lot of fun guys:

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s raining again. It started yesterday afternoon just in time to spoil Halloween. Most of the little ones had parents with umbrellas and the older ones out in groups were scarce. Really, there weren’t many kids at my door. How was your Halloween? What was the best costume you saw?