Saturday, December 01, 2007

Another dour day, - November waved farewell in sulky fashion, - gone her fleeting sunny smile.

And to make it even dourer I forgot to murmur "White Rabbits" as I arose on this first day of December. As all English people know, this is a sure fire way to ensure a happy month ahead...........

Be that as it may, our first concern today is the roses. The Weatherman predicts very cold weather for a period of about 36 hours, and so we will go out and gather God's natural insulation, - snow and leaves, to pile around the sleeping roots.

Husband spent yesterday morning snipping seed pods from the branches of the Heritage Sweet peas, carefully collecting the seed for sharing. The sunflower heads that we gathered from along the fence were also of concern. He saved seeds for next year's roadside fence display, and what was left will go into the Sunflower Delicatessen along the garden fence, - treats for the little birds that forage in the pile of stalks and berries, along with the puffed up quail that make their daily route march through the meadow and the garden.






At first snow fall their herringbone tracks were bright and distinct in the newly fallen blanket. As the days go buy and their journeys through the garden increase the tracks become blurred and I regret not recording them earlier. I have always found it fascinating to watch the way the quail move, - almost as if they are skimming , but their tracks prove otherwise, - the little legs must move at mega speed to give this illusion of taking off, one after another as they trek along.


The quail spend their nights in the huge pile of brush and prunings at the bottom of the meadow. Tonight they will have company as an outdoor fireside birthday party is planned, and I guess we will all shiver together if the weatherman is on target.......

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Ah November...

After being a grinch for all of 27 dreary days November decided to make known the fact that she is really just a capricious flirt at heart.

First thing this morning she greeted us with a fall of pristine snow (not welcomed so warmly by those who have to shovel) that makes the whole world look pure and white. The hills slid behind a curtain of mist and snow, and thus it continued for most of the morning.

But then, this afternoon the clouds cleared away, and a summery sky rumoured that November had turned into July......


Until one saw the hills below, escaping from their gauzy wrapping...

What a lovely departure gift from a wintry minx....The garden was happy too, as the pretty white counterpane tucked in over the bare and frozen ground.