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"Oh hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!"
by Robert Frost (1874-1963)
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Is there anything better to start the day than a stroll in the early morning sun...
"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny
spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant
an effect on the feelings, as now in October."
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
Sacred bamboo - Nandina domestica,
an evergreen shrub,
by now partly still in flower,
partly developing its berries which will turn red later in November/December,
(still some left from last winter!)
grown in Chinese and Japanese gardens for centuries
"October-dress' of my Chinese Beauty, the tree peony
evergreen Fatsia Japonica
just started its flowering season
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"The gilding of the Indian summer mellowed the pastures far and wide.
The russet woods stood ripe to be stripped,
but were yet full of leaf.
The purple of heath-bloom, faded but not withered,
tinged the hills....
Fieldhead gardens bore the seal of gentle decay;...
its time of flowers and even of fruit was over."
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"In the garden, Autumn is the crowning glory of the year,
bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.
And at no season do we get such superb color effects as now"
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It is somehow a miracle with the Hortensias:
this one is a white flowering one, turned into red this autumn,
while the Lace-caps are nearly white by now
although it has a very cool dark pink color from April until August,
and even when all their colors are faded in autumn,
they still stand proudly upright!
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Oh - the Virginia Creeper!
Every year I'm amazed again by this wonderful color palette...
From faded green....
...to nuances of
yellow....
beige and brown...
from light rosé...
...to pink
and...
bright red.
Living in colorful harmony with
Fatsia Japonica...
and an oak-leafed...
Hydrangea quercifolia
leaves like leather...
and also in all kind of color tones...
from pink to red and almost dark purple.
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"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
Warms the low spot; upon its grass mold
The purple leaf falls; the birchen bough
drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold."
William Cullen Bryant, 1794-1878
'Sun-and-Shadow-Plays' with a tree peony and our small olive trees
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Deep blue sky...
...reflected...
Yes, yes...
...all photos taken yesterday !
What are we up to ...?
A cat nap in full sun ?
much cooler here...
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Light-and-Shadow-Plays in the evening sun
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It was one of those fine October days
free from summer's heat and haze
but not yet gripped by autumn chill.
It was one of those fine October days
when the sky's so clear....
....you can see the moon
through the atmosphere at midday.
It was one of those fine October days
when the trees sport yellow and red
instead of everyday summer green.
It was one of those fine October days
when one draws a deep breath
and is grateful
to be resident on Earth.
Richard Greene (1918-1985)
Bon Dimanche !
