SEASONAL - Summer is Gone

Chinese lanterns beginning to glow

Nobody on the road
nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
the summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets,
the sun goes down alone

Don Henley, The Boys of Summer

We had some glorious weeks of summer, but the air has turned and the Autumn wind has begun to pull her amber bejewelled blanket over the land. The dew is heavier in mornings and it is dark before we have dinner. The glow of Chinese Lanterns has appeared between the foliage of summer flowers. Summer is gone.

Butterfly nectar

We watched the last Butterflies taking nectar from our Buddleia bushes.  Some only visit us here in England, they cannot survive the winters and die at summer's end. The Bees too have gone down in numbers, it seems silent without their gentle buzzing. The Swifts left us last month, House Martins and Swallows struggle on through the rainy colder days with their last broods before their farewell gathering and journey to South Africa.

Our tiny Dragons are leaving the pond to chose stones for hibernation.

Mrs Black soaks up the last of the sunshine

This years Hollyhocks were glorious

And us? We begin to gather our woollens, light the lamps and get out the books we plan to read in our winter nests.

Toast

Top of my list is the Autumn catalogue which arrived from Toast this week. perfect timing! Beautiful colour palette, mustards, rusts and clear greens with navy. I've been tuned to yellow this summer, it is a warming colour, think bowls of spice in a desert souk. It's such a gorgeous photo shoot it is a joy to look at even if you are not shopping. My favourites are the mustard hand warmers, and the white horse! All I need now is a cup of tea.

Toast
website HERE: