Shining lights

Some bright lights left in the camera since I was last here. 

Tall Cat on a rare visit.

We never know when he will appear.

And we never know if it will be for the last time.

An uncle, brother, son and nephew

home from Japan for Christmas.

And the hall decked and ready

for the rest of the family tomorrow.*

Wherever and whoever you are

I hope you have a happy and peaceful day.

*Edited to add that there was an unexpected visit to

A&E for the littlest one tonight

and we are very grateful to have him back home just after midnight

and just before Father Christmas arrived.

Dwindling ...

...the number of posts and the number of readers I suspect

and the harvest too

but it was a good year for French beans

and I will definitely grow them again.

Sissinghurst and Great Dixter continue to mellow beautifully

 and there is an exciting new place to visit,

Tillingham, a biodynamic vineyard, 

with rooms and a restaurant in the heart 

of the Sussex countryside.

There was a son in San Francisco

and another newly established in Tokyo.

This butterfly looks a little how I feel.

I'm never good with the shortening days

and this seems to have been a particularly swift descent into Autumn.

Pencil sharpening, new term feelings were not as marked as in previous years

but for this one

a fifth birthday

and an exciting first week at big school are under her belt.

For now, in these troubling times,

I seek solace in scenes like those above,

the writings of Gladys Taber, (thanks Nan)

and seek to adopt the Zen-like attitude

of this ram.

See you, I hope,

before we all fall over the cliff.

Life force

Energy. Somewhat erratic today.

This foggy image accurately reflecting

the current mood under stormy skies.

This one conveying temporary bursts of energy

when the sun pops out again.

Plenty being done, directed or delegated,

but not necessarily effectively.

To whit the cake for tomorrow's visitors, in a cold oven 

the oven mysteriously having been turned off

at some point in the proceedings.

Never mind - here are cheery flowers

and here are the apples that must be Used.

More cheery flowers I am proud to say

raised from seed by moi

and coordinating tomatoes

raised from little plugs from Rocket Gardens

many months ago.

 Energetic grandchildren wending their way here as we speak.

Stand by everyone. Stand by.

in absentia

Yes I do see how Instagram lures

one away from the blog.

It's so breezy and bite-sized.

Even on a dodgy phone with a broken screen that has to be jabbed

multiple times in order to 'share',

it still wins hands down over the old computer for immediacy.

Mac struggles to load photos to Blogger in under an hour.

I have to take myself off to while away the time more profitably

and then completely lose my train of thought.

So in the absence of a coherent narrative,

I'm going for colour graduation,

because this autumn has been all about

the most spectacular colour changes

and dramatic skies.

Much to be thankful for.