“… and all at once,
summer collapsed into fall.” — Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde
Autumn always delivers itself with its golden light, hanging low. Shadows lengthen. The mornings darker, awakening with a chill. Sweaters reappear, insulating us from the transitioning nip in the air.
As a girl, and even still, the twirling leaves helped along by autumn’s wind have always fascinated me. The resonant call of the Canada geese on their migration is a true touchstone of this poignant season. One of my favourite sensations for as long as I can recall is the musky sweet aroma given off by the beds of damp, fallen leaves especially after a powerful frost. For me, the slow advances of autumn are always ripe with fond memories of autumns past: harvesting the last of the root vegetables, hands cold from washing the soil from their creases; raking and piling leaves; final trail rides before winter’s grip; hot chocolate around the season’s final bonfire; mists hanging low and full across the pastures; neighbourhood walks inhaling the bouquet of wood burning fireplaces; the horses coats blooming in their pre-winter preparations.
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – – George Eliot
May your week be every bit as delicious and soul-stirring as Mother Nature intends.
===
PS: I’m obviously on a roll with 3 posts in less than a week!
Beautiful, Diane! We always hear geese starting this time of year, too, in the early morning and then in the afternoon, going from one little lake to another. Love that sound.
i can tell from your words you embrace the cold climate and growing up in the northern part of the USA, i can appreciate autumn. i always loved (and still love) raking leaves. as a child my friends and i would rake them into piles and then we’d jump in them. it was always something we looked forward to.
we’re still sweltering in the heat in arkansas right now, but leaves have begun to fall and anyone who has experienced the seasonal changes can detect that autumn is upon us despite the high temps.
each of your images are superb. gotta love the low angle of the apples on the ground.