Autumn activities

Autumn.  A beautiful time really, especially when the days are filled with good weather and the everchanging colour as the leaves on the trees turn from green to orange, to yellow to brown, before finally blowing off.  It is also a time to clean the garden up, to cut back and generally get things ready for the next spring.

I managed to take the top off the conifer without ruining the shape of the tree.  A remarkable achievement I thought, as it could have easily resulted in disaster.  Mostly from me toppling off the top of the stepladder and into the tree, as I tried to saw through tough branches.

The bathroom floor.  We bought non slip lino, which is a great safety feature.  But the dirt sticks in the extremely shallow parts of the lino. Mopping the floor does not clean it.  So I resorted to scrubbing the floor with a brush.  And the result was amazing.  But also embarassing as can be seen in the photograph below. The before and after scrubbing result.

But back to the garden.  A massive cut back in the back area has revealed views of the neighbour's summerhouse and our shed.  Hopefully by next summer it will all look much softer.

The compost bin, moved away from its well hidden spot by the plum tree, and looking very stark in the herb bed.  The herbs mostly died this year, as a result of a very dry summer/early autumn. Another dripper system needed there, I think.

The plum tree looking much happier without a compost bin pushing up against its trunk.  The fig tree has been pruned a little and now has a trellis to keep it looking tidy.

We put up our plastic tree,  bare except for its lights.  It has brightened up our lounge room somewhat.  I love this time of year, with early darkness.  Always a good excuse to light plenty of candles.

But I might have gone overboard with the battery operated candle, bought on a whim from that great shop, Aldi.  The shop where one goes in to buy a few groceries and comes out with a bag full of non essential items for the house.

This candle changes colour and glitter swirls inside.  The cycle starts slowly and picks up until it finishes in a swirl of rapid colour and glitter.  Walter banished it to the conservatory as it was causing him great stress..  But I can see it from my chair. Sadly the batteries only last two nights.  Not a good eco footprint.

The beautiful woods, right on our doorstep.  How lucky we are.  As I have been looking after the dogs for a couple of days each week, I have been walking in the woods three times a day.  I never tire of the changing colours.   They have been breathtakingly beautiful.

Early autumn colours.

The photograph below was taken early in the morning.  The heavy covering of leaves on the ground was very soft underfoot, but it was difficult to see Bobbi as she was the same colour as the leaves.  She was further down the track on the right.

Late autumn colours.

Bobbi and her flashing collar!  A small brown dog amongst brown leaves and dark trees.  Impossible to see late in the afternoon.

One night I did see a faint glimmer of the extra large moon trying to shine through the extra thick cloud.  It was not good moon viewing weather.

During autumn we visited shopping centres in Westfield, Bluewater and Bromley in order to complete Christmas shopping. A little bit of shopping bling.

Afternoon tea at Westfield Shopping Centre.

Lots of sparkle at Westfield.

I also met up with people for lunches and a lovely Christmas dinner catchup with people from St Thomas More School.   This week we had a very special Christmas present and treat from Emma and Steve to see 'The Railway Children' at a temporary theatre at Kings Cross.  A remarkable performance of an English classic complete with two appearances from an old steam train.  The steam train was a little spooky though.

A view from Joydens Wood, looking towards the eastern sky, early one morning.

And finally a very frosty morning in the woods.

We are now packed and ready to travel to Heathrow tomorrow afternoon in order to fly out on Monday morning.  Looking forward to seeing all our family and friends in Australia and New Zealand.

But first a Christmas dinner at Jubilee Church, with Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel and their friends.  A great way to finish the festive season in the northern hemisphere.