Month: September 2023

The Last Flowers

~ Ashley ~ 46 Comments

This morning I did some dead-heading in our little garden.  I took photos, as they are probably the last flowers of this year.

michelmas daisy

The Michaelmas Daisies are vibrant on this overcast morning.  There is something about the combination of the rain filled clouds and the light that actually magnifies some colours.

Due later today is Storm Agnes and so we also moved most of our pots into safer positions.  The storm is supposed to be at its worst tonight.  Let’s hope it doesn’t do too much damage and that those who need to be outside, will be safe.

No verse this time but an extra photograph showing the Ogham stick I whittled for the Autumn Equinox.  It is of apple wood.  Apple is the tenth tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham.  The tree is regarded nearly everywhere as a symbol of Earth’s abundance.

apple autumn equinox

Ashley

Autumn Equinox 2023

~ Ashley ~ 39 Comments

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Whilst the ivy is still flowering and attracting bees, also the occasional butterfly, the Nerine bulbs have come into bloom, just in time for the autumn equinox.

Still there are flowers,
As the daylight fades --
Spider lilies.

I have a made a note in my diary to find more of these amazing blooms to plant in my little garden for next year.  Also I need to add more Asters like this compact variety.

aster

I’ve just read that the autumn equinox is considered to be the doorway to winter, a time to let go of the past and move forward.  So, for today and the next few weeks, let us all enjoy the beauty and colours of the remaining flowers in our gardens.

Happy Autumn Equinox.

Ashley

http://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/

Mid Autumn

~ Ashley ~ 43 Comments

Today it is overcast, grey, and now the rain has arrived; a sign of the weather to come: dull and drab!  However, yesterday, around midday, the sun shone and it was warm.  The ivy flowers, which have been closed since they appeared a few weeks ago, suddenly were open.  Open for business!

ivy flowers open

Warm sunshine,
Bright at the top of the hedge --
Movement there!

Butterflies and bees feeding there,
On the blooming ivy flowers --
A true sign of autumn.

Ivy!  Such a maligned plant in a garden, and yet it is so important for our pollinators!  

I can’t resist adding this last photo of 3 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies (Aglais urticae) on one of our dwarf Buddleia (Buzz Velvet Red).

small tortoishell x 3 on buddleia

Not long now until the Autumn Equinox!

Early September

~ Ashley ~ 39 Comments

The temperature is currently 22c and it is expected to rise by at least another 2c this afternoon!  That is hot for this part of these islands!  According to the traditional pagan calendar that I follow for my seasonal writing, the autumn began in early August, whilst meteorologists claim the 1st September as the start of autumn!

There is another calendar, of which I no very little, the astronomical calendar, & that has autumn starting around the 21st September.  My dear WordPress friend Marina, at

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/2091483/posts/4877388110

will have to fill me in on the meaning of astrological autumn, however, after I complained about the miserable summer we were having here in July and August, she did offer to send me some warm sunny Mediterranean sunshine.  It has surely arrived, & Marina, I can only say thank her for her sunny uplifting wishes!

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These photos are from a day out to Groomsport on the north coast of County Down.  The little harbour sits facing into Belfast Lough & the Irish Sea & I love it there!  If I could live there (in my dreams) I would be in heaven: very few people except in summer, one pub, a small supermarket, a restaurant & very accessible to the usual amenities that an older person like me would need!  It was so warm I had to wear my shorts!  Sorry!  No photographs! 🤣  But it was the best day out that we’ve had in months!

The problems of the world, the Earth’s climate, the war in Europe & various other negative personal stories, did not go away, but I’m refreshed & renewed, simply by visiting the coast!  Thank you, Marina! 🤗🌹🙋‍♂️