Jack’s Walk

Autumn mums, ©voyager, all rights reserved

I love the autumn, especially the colour show of the trees and bushes, but so far our trees are still green. There’s the odd red or yellow leaf, but this year the trees are making me wait. It isn’t all drab, though. Autumn is also the season that big pots of colourful mums start to appear around the neighbourhood. Mums are hearty at this latitude and can even withstand a bit of freezing and they come in so many rich shades of reds, oranges and yellows, even delicate whites. I love them all and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last photo of mums that I’ll post this fall.

Spider Silk

Due to drought, there probably will not be any meaningful aftermath this year. The meadows are green, but the grass is not even knee-height. But everything is covered with spider silk this fall, something that I did not notice other years. I tried to take a few shots.

©Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Jack’s Walk

Jack at Southside Park, ©voyager, all rights reserved

What you can’t see in this peaceful photograph are the dozens of geese that were honking and charging us from behind. Jack’s never gone up against a goose so he’s fearless around them, but I’ve been bitten by geese and it hurts. They’re also fairly strong, so they make me a bit nervous. I’ve never had trouble with them at this park, though, especially in the fall when they’re not protecting nests or babies. Whatever the cause I decided not to linger and we skedaddled over to the concrete skate park.

Tummy Thursday: Staples

No fancy pics this week, as cooking was very plain, which brought me to today’s question for you: What are staples in your kitchen, and by that I mean dishes that you’ll (almost) always be willing to make and (almost) everybody is going to eat?

We had French Toast tonight and pancakes earlier this week (they can be small and American style or large and flat, more like crêpe). Various pasta with tomato sauce have never been turned down here, as well as meatball marinara pasta gratin (thank you, Ikea). Pizza goes without saying and wraps (to be filled at your own discretion) are also always ok.

What’s cooking in your kitchen?

Fall Colors of a Rowan Tree

Today I managed to get home before the sun set completely  and I was not hungry overmuch, so I managed to grab my camera and go for a walk for a change and I experimented a bit with this and that.

Today I wish to share a few shots of a roadside cluster of rowan trees. I love rowan trees, every part of them. In the fall, they are the first ones starting to change color around here. The fall has truly arrived.

©Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Youtube Video: Forging a Viking Dane Axe – With Tord of Thor’s Forge (part 1)

I enjoyed this video immensely. Tord of Thor’s Forge in Sweden shows a process of making a two-handed Dane Axe blade the traditional way – from recycled wrought iron and carbon steel, both refined by bending and forge-welding. As close to a Viking-era technology as possible.

I learned a lot just by watching and I hope that some day I will have a chance to try out some of those things myself.

Video is 40 minutes long and there is about 4 min introduction by Matt Easton. Take that into account if you decide to watch.

Turn of the Season

We went from 28 degrees on Saturday to single digits (and low 10s) since Sunday, plus accompanying heavy cloud cover, gusting winds and hail. I think it’s safe to say that autumn has arrived.

A few photos:

The same train station a couple of weeks later – note flaming reds and oranges right where the morning sun touches the leaves.

The walnut waving in the wind. Despite the light-coloured sky, it was quite dark when I got home, but I liked the melancholy feel.

So, here’s a song. Hawksley Workman is a Canadian artist with a nice feel for imagery. He only has the one major hit that I know of (<i>Anger as Beauty</i>), but I’ve always enjoyed his ode to autumn on an emotional level. Indeed, autumn is here.

Jack’s Walk

The rolling hills of home, ©voyager, all rights reserved

Autumn is definitely in the air around here. The days are cooler and the nights are crisp and Jack couldn’t be happier. You see, the boy hates warm weather. His fur is thick and because he ocean swims in the summer he doesn’t lose his undercoat. He also has a bit of a fat pad that makes it even harder to stay cool. So when the weather turns and autumn comes Jack gets energized. Even now at 10 years old he is full of piss and vinegar. I don’t mind at all. Go ahead Jack and use that tail to clear the coffee table. Scratch my floors with those talons of yours and bark at every passing car. It was a long hot summer, but it’s finally time to have some fun.

Chinese Fabric Art

Opus has sent us a special treat… a few pictures taken while he was visiting China. The photos are full of energy and bright, bold colour and I can’t help but think that it must have been very special to see this art with people who understand its true value. Thanks so much for sharing, Opus.

 Pictures from Lijiang in southern China.  I visited with a couple of fabric artists who wanted to see the work done by local women. We were not disappointed!  The woman with the elaborately embroidered headwear is Naxi, best I can remember.  Lijiang is on an ancient trade route, the Tea-Horse road, which was used to trade tea from southern China for Tibetan horses.

©Opus, all rights reserved

©Opus, all rights reserved

©Opus, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

 

Autumn leaf, ©voyager, all rights reserved

Well, there it is. The first colourful leaf of autumn laying on our forest pathway. The trees themselves haven’t turned colour yet, but slowly the signs of autumn are beginning to appear. Around our neighbourhood the hydrangea blooms are withering and big pots of colourful mums are appearing. In the country John Deere green tractors go back and forth and back and forth preparing the land for winter.  It’s sweater season and it’s my favourite time of year.