Having spent all morning pondering blue moons, I was planning to go out and do some gardening this afternoon, but much to Model Dog's disgust, a sullen rain set in after lunch, so we have ventured nowhere.
A shame, as the list of gardening jobs is growing exponentially with the passing days.
I am not very fond of autumn.
There - I've said it, and will now run and hide behind the cupboards in case you all pelt me with rotten apples.
Most people love autumn, but I am not one of them. I hate the coming of September, which the In-Charge always takes personally, as he is a Virgo - his birthday was just last week.
If I lived in France it would be different.
I am as one with Joseph Addison who wrote in The Spectator on 31 May 1712:
'Could I transport myself with a wish from one country to another, I should choose to pass my winter in Spain, my Spring in Italy, my summer in England and my autumn in France.'
Autumn in France is glorious and beautiful. As I'm sure it is in countless other places. Italy has many fans (including my friend DodoWoman), and everyone knows Connecticut is famous for its 'Fall'.
But autumn in this neck of the woods is wild and mean. The leaves get blown away before they have had time to turn - even the Virginia Creeper is green one day, red the next and gone on the third.
And on top of that is is damp, cold and full of spiders who suddenly think they can move into any part of my house they fancy.
They cannot.
I have nothing against spiders outside. They can have the woodshed, the henhouse, the turfshed, the garden shed - any wretched shed they want, but they cannot have my house - especially my bedroom and bathroom!.
Ditto mice.
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| The more you pick, the more you get |
Right, now that that's sorted and I have, so to speak, put my cards on the table, there is something that I love about this time of year.
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| One of my favourite flowers |
The sweet peas always reach their peak now, and flower in a frenzy of scent and colour as if they too are marking off the days, measuring each moment of sunshine before some bitter wind wreaks havoc amongst their delicate tendrils and fragile beauty.
They are a total joy, and bunches of them have gone far and wide, as always.
The last breath of summer..
The real problem is that autumn and its color does not last long enough, just as winter lasts far too long, going on forever and ever. Your sweet peas are lovely and I can see you breathing deeply of their scent as you pass by them.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right there, Carol. Too much winter! Yes, my whole kitchen smells of sweet peas right now. Heaven!
Deleteooohhh your sweet peas ! I must put some in the garden next year ....
ReplyDeleteWell, I must say I love autumn (normal, I'm french , lol) and I agree with Carol, the problem is, it doesn't last long enough (just like spring for that matter) and also it is not always glorious. Imagine here, with the drough of late summer, the garden is parched yellow, and when it feels like raining at last, it just drops half a glass of water, but the sky is dark and heavy like it is already november (add to it that it is really cold in the mornings ) By the way , what I hate is the clock change (do you say so ? ) on the last week end of october , it makes the november evenings so early dark, gloomy, and my mood too ... one needs light ...
Well, let's cheer up a bit. Today (it's precisely dark and not too warm ...), I've my afternoon free, and I intent to play the harp, and have a good read, with tea and biscuits ...
Hi there! Yes, we also have to endure the clock change. By mid-December it gets dark here at about 4pm - miserable. But it stays light until midnight in the middle of summer, so I guess you can't have one without the other. We have been lucky and had a few lovely sunny days now, but it certainly is pretty cold in the mornings and the evenings. But at this time of year, every sunny day is a real bonus.
DeleteI live in North Carolina and I love September; the summers here are very hot and humid and I welcome the cooler weather (though today's "cool" is 85 degrees.) But in another month, darkness will begin setting in far too early and I'll find myself hibernating through the winter. If only spring and autumn could last most of the year - that would be heaven.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we ever get to 85 degrees, even at our hottest, so I'm feeling a bit jealous here! But I do know how tiring endless heat can be, as I haven't always lived in Ireland. (I grew up in the West Indies.) Still - I wouldn't mind trying it out for a bit...
DeleteThank you for your comment on my last post as well. I'm so glad you enjoy reading about Ireland! It's always nice to hear from you!
They are my absolute favourite thing in teh garden..except that I have such difficulty growing them it makes me sad. I have enjoyed looking at yours anyway.
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