Autumn's Splendour

My daughter and I decided to visit the beautiful Arboretum in Aubonne

Many of the leaves were falling, but there were still  enough for us to .

enjoy the splendour of autumn.

I especially liked walking along the water.

We crossed a bridge which had beautiful and different scenes on either side.

We followed a pathway lined with trees.

The yellow arrows on the tree-trunk show us the way.

It was so quiet and beautiful and the air felt fresh and healthy after the town.

An opening in the trees revealed a pond with pretty evergreen reflections

in the water and burnished beech leaves overhead.

Don't you love shuffling through the crisp, fallen leaves?

We come to an open area on our path with orange-red trees brightening up the scene.

There's another pond

with beautiful reflections.

Those brightly coloured trees have unusual leaves 

which look more like pine needles.

Here is a close-up to see their structure.

(click on the photo so it will fill your screen)

This is the botanical name of the tree.

It's a type of Sequoia which comes from China.

We walked underneath a covered bridge before climbing higher to get a better view.

A Tulip Tree was already losing a lot of leaves

A water feature captured the water tumbling down a steep slope.

Capturing the flow of water.

One last look at the colourful Beech leaves before returning home. 

I think it would be lovely to visit this Arboretum again next spring! Don't you?

Nearer to home, some Cherry Tree Leaves still hang on to the branches.

Many of them have already fallen, like this beauty here.

I liked the contrast of the fresh white chrysanthemums against the fallen leaves.

The season is changing and the cold autumn winds have started to blow.

We shall soon be admiring bare tree silhouettes and maybe even a sprinkling of snow.

We often have a little snow in November.

I hope that autumn is wonderful where you live

and that you are able to go out for invigorating walks and fresh air.

It feels so good to come home again afterwards, 

make a warm drink after enjoying to the full the season we are in.

 

What I Love About December

Now the days are shorter

I simply love to light candles in my home.

It makes it feel so warm and snug.

The trees are so expressive without their leaves

I did love how this tall Poplar tree just caught the sinking sun at the very top!

I went down to the lake one afternoon and the lighting was very unusual.

Can you see the pale circle of sun hiding in the clouds?

Three seagulls were circling the C-shaped elegant weather-vane.

I find we notice things differently in the winter months.

Don't you just love silhouettes?

I love going for brisk walks in my neighbourhood and catching the mid-afternoon light.

These little catkins will remain tightly encased until the spring.

There are plenty of red berries on the bushes everywhere

We've already had our first snowfall

and I took this photo from my balcony. I chose this coloured house because it shows

up the snowflakes so well.

It's time to get my winter boots out of the cellar again.

By the time I got out to take some pictures of the snow, it had warmed up

a bit too much and the snow was melting very fast.

Another tree in my neighbourhood with a large nest very high up.

Does that mean that the winter won't be too cold?

Just a little higher up from where I live, I found some patches of snow that hadn't melted.

A few lovely Maple leaves were hanging from the tree,

but most of them had already fallen on the ground.

These two had fallen on the snow

showing off their beautiful shape and colour.

While most flowers have finished blooming.

The Winter Jasmine is looking beautiful.

As soon as December is here, I start to crochet Christmas items.

These four tiny Christmas stockings were made for a gift.

Now I'm making some for myself in a different colour combination.

What I love about December the most are brisk walks in the crisp air,

noticing the beauty of the winter scenery

and then coming home for gorgeous long evenings in which to read,

do crochet, make decorations and prepare gifts.

An orchid plant is in full bloom

and when I look up, I notice the lovely petals from the back against the light from the window.

I heard that it's going to snow again very soon

and I shall be outside to enjoy it to the full!

Next time, I'm going to talk about the Lights Festival in Lausanne

and show you some of the pictures that I've already taken of this event.

What do you love about December?

 

When Autumn Turns to Gold

 

The month of November this year is one of the most beautiful I have ever known!

The temperatures have been milder than most other years

and the leaves are lasting longer.

This particular vision of sunlit leaves took my breath away!

These two images are the wonderful colours in a Tulip Tree.

I love their easy to recognize shapes.

Two burnished leaves connect against the blue of the sky.

Every autumn, I look forward to visiting one of the city parks, the one nearest to me,

to see the Ginkgo biloba Tree turn golden.

It's also know as the Maiden Hair Tree.

A golden carpet of fallen leaves forms as the wind brings them down to the ground.

 I was lucky enough to see them fall when I was standing there.

Children were playing in the leaves and the air was full of laughter!

Aren't they just beautiful?

Their fan-shape is so special.

I took a few to put them in my flower-press

A branch hangs down against the deep blue sky.

Look how next spring's buds have already formed...

Taking a closer look to see the sky behind the openings and the beautiful structure of the leaf.

I have to include the pond

The lighting was beautiful in the late afternoon.

There's a bench by that pond - and I've sometimes taken a picnic

and a book to read to sit right here!

A collage of my favourite leaves and autumn hues.

Right at the end of this month, I'll be posting the last leaves of November

I still find them in protected places

shining in the sunlight like golden jewels!

Autumn Walks

With the cooler days,

the leaves have begun to change colour and have started to fall.

The geraniums are still blooming and will continue to do so until the first frosts.

This lovely area above the lake is called Mont Pèlerin

My son drove me up here recently on a very short visit to Switzerland.

It was still so warm that we had to peel off our jackets.

There was a lovely wooded area too with the sunshine illuminating the leaves.

Nearer home, both in my neighbourhood and down at the park,

the leaves seem to change in colour daily.

These are from a line of trees in the street in my neighbourhood.

My favourite time for walks is late afternoon when the lighting is so beautiful

When green and orange-browns mingle

Down to the Mont Repos Park to see the new plantations.

The flowerbed is looking beautiful and the chrysanthemums in the big pots

will look wonderful when the tiny buds open.

I walk down to the park regularly.

A closer look at the lovely leaves

The hydrangea are still blooming

I really like the leaf decorated paving stones near the little park café under the chestnut trees.

These are just two of the many. They are all different.

Rich purple Asters in lovely contrast to the other autumn colours

The first chrysanthemum buds are starting to open

It seems to be a good year for berries

Their shiny bright colour makes me linger as I admire them on my walk

Leaves bob up and down in a slight breeze against the colourful blur of the background

After some night rain, a leaf still holds a tiny lake of rainwater in the shade

Tiny St. John's Wort wild flowers still bloom

Here is a larger version which is often planted on slopes in gardens 

Here are my favourite leaves of the month so far. I have used them for this month's header.

A collage of some of my much loved scenes as I went on my autumn walks.