The Last Day of October

The month of October this year has been beautifully sunny for the most part

and also rather warm until recently.

I wanted to share the wonderful colours that I've enjoyed in my area  

often in my  own neighbourhood.

This first photograph was taken in the park called Mont Repos

which is in Lausanne and only a 20-minute walk from where I live.

The golden leaves in the background are Tulip Trees.

Here is one of the paths in the park

lined with those beautiful trees.

The park is so beautiful with all the autumn chrysanthemum plants coming into bloom.

The  warm colours make me feel happy!

The leaves are falling with the recent wind and rain and soon the trees will be bare

showing the lovely shapes of their trunks and branches.

The Maple leaves take on their bright tones of red and orange.

Cherry Tree leaves catch the sunlight

before floating down and sometimes getting caught in fences.

Big American oak leaves and Beech create their own beauty when they land

on the granite path.

Closer to home, a local Tulip Tree frames a pale blue sky

In my own tree-lined street, the leaves gather on the pathways

making everything so beautiful.

I was walking down my street in the rain one day and saw this little leaf

which had moulded itself on the door handle of a dark blue car.

Another rainy day and a different kind of leaf had landed on a black car.

The lovely reflected colours on the shiny door are the leaves on the ground.

A rusty fence was embellished by this vine turning a colour which seemed to match the rust.

I was waiting for the bus to come home after an afternoon out and just caught this beautiful lighting 

just before sunset.

By standing on tiptoes, I could capture a fine strip of lake and the mountains

The last photo is a still life to honour today.

It is All Hallows' Eve.

What is now known as 'Halloween' is a name that means nothing in itself.

It's a contraction of  'All Hallows' Eve'.

It designates the vigil of All Hallows' Day, which is November 1st,

often known as All Saints' Day.

I have spoken about putting up some photos of a lovely escapade I did in October,

but it will be for another day!

Country Rambles

We've been having an exceptionally beautiful month of October.

The temperatures having been hovering between 18-24 Celsius (around 68 Fahrenheit)

and I've been out as much as possible, enjoying nature.

From where I live in the town of Lausanne,

I need to take the metro, the train and then another little country train

which you can see here.

It stops at every single little village and hamlet on the way!

I went with a friend, and we noticed how dry the earth was through lack of rain.

The trees were changing colour and looking beautifully seasonal.

Some autumn plantations had already been done and appeared very green

against the dried fields of ploughed earth.

The mountains took on an almost purple hue

and quite a few had been planted with a ground cover

of purple flowers which I learnt were to replenish the soil in nutrients.

Here is a group of flowers in close-up.

The bees seemed to love it.

These country roads are wonderful for walks

and I love to go here at least twice a year to see the beautiful area in different seasons.

I love the lines of fields in different colours.

After walking through the woods, we turned to go back down the hill

down to a village called Apples.

The village church steeple can be seen

and the mountains above the lake as well.

We are still high enough to see the lake

and behind the mountain to the right

is the well-known Mont Blanc Mountain which is in France.

I thought these sunlit leaves, already quite orange,

were so typical of this beautiful season.

Nearer to home, I collected fallen leaves and thought it would be fun

to create an Autumn Quilt by taking macro shots of parts of the leaves and making a collage.

A quilt inspired by nature

in this beautiful month of October.

Leaf Philosophy

"Shall we let go?"

said the leaf on the left

"Not yet"

said the leaf on the right.

"Rain is on the way" said their fallen sisters, already lying on the ground.

"You will join us soon enough. It is our destiny."

"So be it", said the two leaves still hanging onto the branch.

"We will accept the wind and rain which will take us onto the next part of our life's journey."

A hedgehog scuttled by in the early morning, muttering to himself,

still looking for the perfect spot to hibernate!

A black car in the street

 wishing it had been sprayed another colour

Wish granted!

The golden Ginkgo leaves released themselves from the tree, their mother,

like excited children leaving the nest with a flourish of anticipation.

A friendly crevice in the stone steps gave them shelter

until they decided what to do next!

The beech trees in the park yesterday

were releasing their leaves like zigzagging butterflies doing their love dances in the spring.

All the elements of nature

so closely connected

creating the cycle of life.

The earth in which a young sapling grows into a sturdy tree

tiny buds form on branches and then leaves fall in autumn

and create compost which nourishes the roots of the tree.

The days are much shorter and the longer evenings give us more time

 to be creative

to reflect

to read

to be at one with the season.

Quite Unexpectedly

Just as autumn's colours were gracefully coming to an end

and the golden and tanned leaves

had nearly all fallen...

some gorgeous red berries reminded me

that I could start thinking creatively about Christmas preparations.

I just love everything about that.

Preparing homemade decorations and presents.

Crochet for the long winter evenings.

Mincemeat to make for the traditional mince pies.

Cards to make

and cookies to bake

and imagining how to creatively use my new Christmas lights.

BUT

then it happened in a flash.

A very slippery floor and an unseen plastic bag

and down I went

and my right wrist is fractured,

So 

everything is on hold for about six weeks.

Can you imagine that I got to choose the colour of my cast?

I could have had purple or neon green, but chose French navy instead!

My morale is excellent despite some frustrations in everyday living.

I can do much less and everything takes much longer.

I know you will understand if I leave less comments on your blogs,

but will be coming in to visit you all.

***

"life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans"

November's Jewels Still Shine

One beautiful and very big leaf

balances in the opening on a bench

We say hello to each other!

The golden larch graces the limpid pale blue sky

and the greens take on a hint of yellow

Soft dappled skies and furry edged leaves make us think it's spring again

November's jewels still shine

and blue skies appear in-between the grey days.

Beech nuts are falling from the trees

I collect some to put into a glass bowl at home.

The map of life contained in a single leaf

A rustling can be heard as the leaves start to float to the ground

and rejoice us with their luminous quality and varied colours

as well as their amazing textures.

Spring slumbers

In each tightly furled bud, spring slumbers, even though the cold winds

of November blow and snowflakes hover way on high.

A lone leaf on the branch

will soon join its sisters on the soft earth.

I'm grateful for the four seasons 

which bring me joy at every step.

***

Soon, our activities will be often inside.

There's always plenty to do

books to read

crafts to enjoy

crochet to make

and mandalas to create.

Not forgetting photography!

Winter months are humming with creativity.

Do you find exciting and uplifting things to do in the winter months?