Wild Autumn

Hope everyone is loving autumn .. I'm enjoying watching the colour changes and feeling the way the air is different now, too.

The garden is now completely wild, seedheads and overgrown creepers, vines and roses all competing in the wind and wet weather overnight but then still smiling brightly in the daytime sunshine.

Still picking yellow Ildi tomatoes from the hanging baskets and using handfuls of some unexpectedly lush sorrel from the veg patch. Blackbirds darting in and out of the all the overgrowth, feasting. The spiders who have been spinning their glorious webs amongst it all now looking fat and rather fine.

Me and the little'un had a jolly jaunt round our local nature reserve, the Lozenge, today to see what was happening there .. golden leaves, abundant berries, teasel heads ...

plumptious rosehips

colourful guelder rose















.. and also a magical sprouting of fungi!

Scarlet and Gold

More scarlet and gold highlights from the herb garden .. just starting to flower this last week or so are Tansy and the bronze Fennel..

I'm sure from reading about tansy way back that its supposed to be an insect repellent .. I know it is used dried to put in pet's beds to deter/repel fleas .. but everytime I go to photograph the lovely golden button flowers, they are covered in flies.. hmmmm!

When the great tall (some might say overgrown and out of control!) valerian finished, I left the great tall stems to provide support for the bronze fennel. So glad I did, as the golden flowerheads supported up high are providing a nice extra dimension in the herb garden.











... and on the windowsill soaking up the sunshine, the infused oils I prepared about six weeks ago are nearly ready and have changed colour ...

this golden one is Chamomile

and this gorgeous blood-red one is St John's Wort..

.. you can see the fantastic change in colour by comparing with this photo I took when I prepared it!

This should mean that all the goodness and healing properties from the flowers have now transferred themselves into the oil.












Once I've strained the plant material out, I will be keeping some oil to use as it is (for burns, including sunburn) and thickening a little of it to make into a salve for knife wounds .. I am accident-prone with the kitchen knife when I've not had enough sleep, so this is another helpful standby in our house!

Blush

This week you could really feel the wheel of the year turning.. its like all that thrusting and thriving and green energy burgeoning until it wears itself out .. and the plants are starting to feel a bit knackered and spent (and me along with them!). We are all a little straggly and starting to go to seed.

This, however, is a favourite time for me for I am an autumn girl and the move towards autumn and its resplendant colours is underway. The colour scheme is changing, with gold and crimson coming to the fore.The strawberries and geraniums are starting to blush a deep scarlet...

.. the evening primrose is out..

..and I'm starting to see how the 'rosa rugosa' got its common name of 'tomato rose'...

This week, too, the dusk has been my companion around 9pm when I've been turning in. I don't know why, but I find this a great comfort!

Its a time to relax and enjoy the fruits of all the enthusiasm and energy of spring and midsummer. To reap what we have sown... (what's left after the slugs and snails have had their pick,that is!)

Evergreen

I love the tradition of bringing greenery into the house during the darkest part of the year.. a reminder that the earth is only sleeping and will burst into life once more once she has shed her old layers, rested and renewed herself.

I made this little wreath for the front door from the evergreens in the herb garden, its just bay and rosemary. They both smelled divine while I worked with them. Had intended (indeed, still intend!) weaving a scarlet ribbon and adding pine cones, berries and other decorative bits later this week.. but it just looked so simple and fresh and green that I couldn't bring myself to do it yet.

This year we finally have an eco christmas tree which is actually growing in its pot and will live beyond the Christmas festivities. Yes, before you ask, it drops needles.. but I don't see that as a problem. I hoover them up. I like the ritual of watering it a little every day. Its nice to have something to nurture at a time when we are no longer out working daily in the garden.

Yesterday, driving through the winter countryside I saw mistletoe growing high up in trees for the first time.. a magical sight and it made me determined to look up some of the folklore surrounding this and other plants associated with this time of the year. I filled the hanging baskets by the front door with lovely variegated ivy which, like mistletoe, had its use banned by the church for its strong pagan (ie pre-Christian) associations.. yet they are still widely used, along with holly, though I am sure not many folks would now know why.

Share with me anything that you know .. and I'll add links or a new post if I find anything interesting?

UPDATE (Dec 30th 2011):

Found this wonderful Susun Weed article about Rosemary which includes the following:

"Old herbals hint that rosemary exerts its influence magically as well as physically. Burned as an incense, twined into a wreath, or grown in a pot, rosemary protects the house and those who live in it, especially the women..

Rosemary is a traditional Christmas decoration – partly because it smells good, and partly because pruning rosemary back mid-winter makes it stronger and healthier. So don’t hesitate to cut bunches of it for beauty."

Tree Tribute

Spring

With the Spring Equinox last week and Mothers' Day at the weekend, it really feels the time of year to celebrate burgeoning new life. For me this spring is especially magical as I have just given birth to my first child, a wonderful little son.

I took these baby animal pictures last year on a visit to a farm with some good friends who had recently become parents. Now the wheel has turned another year and I am looking forward to going again with my own little one. Enjoy!

January

Well here we are in January!

The cold snap has brought some wonderful bright sunny frosty mornings to enjoy in my part of London and beautiful peach and lilac sunsets illuminating stark dark tree silhouettes.

Time to hibernate in the warm and try to avoid all the coughs and colds lurking about - the elderflowers that I dried last autumn are standing by (but I hope I shan't be needing them!)



Here's the link to last year's post, in case anyone needs it:
Making Elderflower Tea

Equinox

Welcome to the Autumn!

A time to relax and draw breath .. and enjoy the fruits of the earth. Lately I've been eating wonderful crispy jacket spuds and sweet local apples. And stewing lovely Bramley apples to mix with blackberries in crumbles and pies.


You can download this beautiful September calendar here

And you can read a little bit about the Autumn Equninox here

First Fruits

Its late summer and its lovely feeling the season slowly change. I'm looking forward to autumn - my favourite time of the year.

Honesty seedpods:




Looking forward to blackberrying: