Sunday 15 March 2020

Autumn Beckons

Autumn beckons; later sunrises and earlier twilights bookend days that are cooler now and do not carry the weight of Summer's humidity. A gentle breeze has been whispering thoughts of longer sleeves and lightweight scarves, of house socks and ballet flats, of toasted cheesy sandwiches and homemade pies and of warming throws for reading an evening away. 

Autumnal Apple Pie

Autumn feels like it is here in the air around me, in the fading Summer flowers of the garden, in my thoughts of sewing a simple tunic for wearing over those aforementioned longer sleeves and of returning to the knitting of the deep bottle-green wrap that I began last time Autumn visited us here.

 The last of Summer's Zinnias in a posy.

 Sweet fabric and a little vintage doily for a dress.

Autumn is present too in my more reflective mood; in the thoughts that come while rolling pastry and catching scents of cinnamon, in not-necessarily garden plans made while spreading compost over Summer-spent garden beds and in the quiet daydreams that form while looking out to a gentler blue sky from my spot on our long verandah.  

Earth & home & resilience on my mind...

Autumn is my favourite time of year and I am so very glad it's here. Are you looking forward to the change in season too?

Meg









25 comments:

  1. Here in UK it's spring and hope for summer.

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    1. Your Summers would be so much milder than ours, Marlene. I imagine they are warm and sunny with gardens full of flowers. Here, Summer is just hot! Meg:)

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  2. I'm with you, I love Autumn with the cool crisp morning air and sunny days. Your pie looks amazing, love the leaves on top too. I'm a good cook however pastry has always intimidated me a little however I made a really nice quiche for dinner the other night including the pastry. It's always a 3 hour event to make a quiche...first the pastry, and baking it, then the quiche part however I was pretty happy with it. Have a great week.

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    1. Quiche, with homemade pastry, sounds quite delicious. I rarely make pastry, except for pies, and usually have store-bought sheets in my freezer. I once tried to make a puff pastry and that was a debacle! Meg:)

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  3. It’s spring here, and I love it (minus pollen)😀.

    I really like your little design on the apple pie. Did you enjoy Retrosuburbia? I’m still waiting till it is available on our library system.

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    1. I am rereading Retrosuburbia, Nil. I borrowed it from the library not long after it came out but felt I wanted to revisit it so borrowed it again when I saw it on library shelves recently. I like its emphasis on resilient households and local communities. It certainly got me thinking ...

      Meg:)

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    2. I got Retrosuburbia out from the library a while back...I was a bit overwhelmed with it all. I can recommend A Family Guide to Waste Free Living is good...different type of book however still great. Here is a little film on the family living in a normal suburban block. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5ijPk5_8pM

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  4. Beautiful photos/work! Autumn sounds wonderful! (I always wish it would last longer.) Andrea

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    1. I always wish Autumn would last longer too, Andrea!
      MegXx

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  5. Hello Meg,

    such a beautifully written post. I can picture and almost smell everything you have described.
    Autumn is my daughter's favourite season. She loves scarves, cardigans and sitting covered with a soft cuddly rug while reading. Her thoughts turn to making soups and baking with apples and pears.

    My thoughts turn to gardening and planning our autumn and winter crops. I'm looking forward to abundant crops of silverbeet and kale and all the delicious dishes I can use them in. My sourdough baking will become a regular task as the days get cooler. I can't wait to start cooking stews and curries on our wood-fired heater while it heats our kitchen and living area. Sleeping will be so much easier as the nights get cooler.
    Autumn is a lovely time of year.

    Cheers, Maria xx.

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    1. You have wonderful plans for Autumn, Maria. Sourdough and stews and curries sound delicious. I will be planting silverbeet too as I find it one of the easiest and abundant veg to grow. Meg:)

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  6. Meg, it has been quite cool here on the Downs. I love it after that dreadful heat and humidity. My vegie gardens are covered in weeds and it will take a while to get them back into commission once again. I gave up trying to grow anything during summer.

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    1. I am grateful for this change in season too, Chel. I cleared out the veg patch early yesterday morning and today my husband and I have added layers of compost and manure and pea straw and watered it all in with seaweed solution. I'll let it sit for a couple of weeks before I plant seedlings. I'm looking forward to growing a decent harvest as Summer yielded almost nothing from this bed as I planted next to nothing in it. The odd cucumber, a volunteer pumpkin, herbs and that was about it. I'm looking forward to silverbeet and kale and maybe beetroot. Meg:)

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  7. Good morning Meg. We are just moving into Spring here in England. It's been a surprisingly mild though wet winter this year. I am looking forward to warmer days and bluer skies.

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    1. Warm days and bluer skies sound just the thing after Winter, Cherie. T love the way the sky's blue changes here in the Autumn. A different quality to the light perhaps. Meg:)

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  8. Isn't it just wonderful to be coo. and comfortable with no humidity. Crispiness of autumn is certainly in the air, and it makes it so much easier to get lots done. I'm puling on socks indoors now too, and need a cardi when I walk my dog....bliss!

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    1. Oh, these cooler days are indeed blissful, Nanette. Such a welcome change from the heat and humidity of Summer here. I find I have more energy when the season turns too and spend so much more time outside in our garden. Meg:)

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  9. Hi Meg, I love autumn days, it's all blue skies here in Tas. Your autumn flowers are lovely. Did you see my article on Visible Mending in Earth Garden?? :)

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    1. I did indeed see your article, Jo. How exciting to be writing for Earth Garden! I have an ancient and much-loved denim skirt that needs some mending, boro-style, so I can see myself sitting out on the back deck, needle and thread in hand, sashiko stitching away. Meg:)

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  10. Gorgeous photos, Meg. You are such an artist. Yes, Spring is on its way, and I am excited. I just bought some fruit trees to plant in the back orchard. I am harvesting lemons, and plan to make lemon bars.

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    1. Thanks for such kind words, Stephanie. Harvesting lemons sounds a most lovely thing. I have tried, with no success, to grow lemons here but often receive them as gifts from friends. I have frozen the juice so that I can use it, blended with some honey, to soothe sore throats come Winter time. Meg:)

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  11. I do enjoy autumn. What's not to love about bright crisp days, apple pie and the turning of the leaves. Here we are entering our spring season. Lambs, wild garlic and blossom. X

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    1. Oh, lambs and wild garlic and blossoms. Sounds a most lovely Spring to come, Jules. Meg:)

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  12. We are heading towards Spring here too. The last few days have been really sunny with big blue skies and fluffy white clouds. It has been wonderful to see the sky and the sun after months of heavy grey cloud day after day. Sunny days means frosts and really cold nights so we are not warm yet, I am looking forward to that!

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    1. It must be wonderful to see a beautiful blue sky again after months of cloud. That must certainly signal Spring! The days here are pretty much perfect with clear blue skies, warm weather and gentle breezes. Meg:)

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