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Thursday 2 September 2010

September

September mornings have a special beauty all their own - summer's blowsy bright colours are gradually giving way to the softer more subtle palette of autumn. The term autumn colours often brings to mind the wonderful gold, crimson and orange shades of the changing leaves but it has also a softer scheme of pinks and mauves - think of michaelmas daisies, asters, spindleberries and so on.

Here amongst the hips of the rosa rugosa are a few last brave pink roses and behind in the wood the tall spires of rosebay willowherb are gradually losing their pink flowers and instead are covered in fluffy seeds ....

The leaves of the clematis montana have turned to a lovely subtle shade ......

The hydrangea flowers are slowly fading and none the less beautiful for that. It reminds me that youthfulness is not the only sort of loveliness and that age brings with it it's own beauty both for the plants and indeed for those of us who are in the September of our years!

Everything is now seen through a feint veil of mist - things are no longer quite so sharply defined as before (is that why many of us now need to resort to glasses!). I love the soft mistiness of it all with the thin spire of smoke drifting slowly upwards.

Again the colours are not now so bright but they have their own beauty in their soft shades. No longer can I see clearly the distant hills they are lost in a veil of blue/grey mist.

Yet the skies are still as blue ...



... and the days are still warm and sunny but now they are shorter and we don't get as much done before the chill of evening comes and gradually darkness falls. I would hate to live somewhere where the days were always the same length and I like the darkening evenings when I can find time to snuggle down indoors with some craftwork - I don't think I could keep up the pace of long summer days and evenings spent watering the garden! Bring on autumn!!!


September for me speaks of new beginnings, though it is many years since I began a new year at school, and I decided that if a new year is about to start I should finish off some of the UFOs I have had hanging about so yesterday I set to and made a couple of cushions from the pieces of crazy patchwork which have been waiting for months to be made into something (the turquoise one was actually made at the patchwork group I attended in France and the other one is made from some lovely silks from a sample book I bought for £1 at a flea market) .......

....... the smaller bits I made into cards. I wouldn't win a prize for neatness but they will be sent with love so maybe it won't matter too much!

19 comments:

  1. I like how the landscape becomes softer too, the paler colour of the hills and the mistiness that appears is beautiful.
    The pillows and cards are lovely and they look very neat in the photos! :) x

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  2. Autumn is my favourite time of year though we don't have the change of seasons like you do. The days are usually lovely but the nights get a little chilly. Our spring is OK but usually very short lived before the heat is back but at the moment it is very nice here and still cool at night.
    I love those cards. What a huge amount of work must have gone into them though. I hope whoever receives them, appreciates them.
    Cheers
    Helen

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  3. Delightful pictures Jane, it was a gorgeous misty morning up here too, I love this time of year... and what stunning work you've been doing.... the cards look very neat to me! :0) x

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  4. I love those cards!
    Julie xxxxxx

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  5. Such a beautiful post and one that conjures up all things that I love about September.

    Thank you for a wonderful read.

    Nina xx

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  6. What lovely photographs.
    My garden is devoid of colour but full of floating Rosebay Willow Herb seeds!

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  7. Oh this is such a beautiful post. Your images are restful and thought-provoking. Thankyou for this x

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  8. Em, you have summed up September and the approach to Autumn so well. I tend to forget everything which is good about this time of year as I always get a feeling of dread with the loss of Summer, I should appreciate as it is, now.
    Love the cards - whoever receives one will be a lucky person.
    x

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  9. I feel as if I've been marking time all through a wet August longing for September and it's repaying my patience. Love the cards and cushions.

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  10. Hi Jane, a beautiful nostalgic post......made me feel quite melancholy....I do melancholy very well, it is my middle name....

    Your craft work is an absolute credit to you.

    I shall be sending a small gift to you sometime next week.....to blow away those winter blues.....

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  11. Beautiful post, beautiful work on the cushions and cards. Haven't the last couple of days been gorgeous?

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  12. Jane, how lovely to see some of your lovely stitching, I love the blue touches on your cushion, little bits of the blue skies in your photographs. You have beautifully captured the mood of the season. (Two batches of chutney safely bottled)

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  13. Those cards are simply gorgeous!

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  14. What a lovely post Jane!
    Cushions and cards are beautiful. :)
    Vivienne x

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  15. Oh Jane, what a lovely post. It was so wistful and gently done. You've captured my thoughts about September too. It is one of my favourite months. I do love it so and it looks like being an indian summer to boot. Magic days. Lesley xx ps : the cards are lovely and I know they will be love.

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  16. What a beautiful post and I love your patchwork and the photo's are fab... I have an award for you over at mine if you'd like it?

    x Alex

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  17. You're right!! "Sent with love" is what matters. Anyhow, they are LOVELY. As is your writing, the blue skies, the handwork...everything.

    Joyous weekend,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  18. A lovely post, I like the muted colours of Autumn too. Like the cushions and the cards. Was wondering where the links to your memories has gone.
    Sue x

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  19. Your photos are so peaceful looking, I especially liked the clouds. Very pretty patchwork pillows. Glad to see you got some unfinished projects out of the way--makes a person feel proud!

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