September Delights

Nature reminds us that the autumn equinox is fast approaching.

The berries are ripening and the leaves are changing.

We are getting more rain after a very hot and dry summer,

but everything looks so fresh and colourful, thanks to the changing of the season.

Fallen leaves are starting to appear everywhere

Seedpods are forming on the flowers, like on this cone flower.

Lichen and fungus are growing on tree trunks

showing us their own kind of beauty

Raindrops glisten

A recent walk down by the lake shows the late blooming flowers

A tiny aster blooms on my balcony

The last dahlia buds have opened in the last few days of brilliant sunshine

and an autumn rose blooms in a neighbouring garden.

But the plums are ripe and perfect for making tarts,

like this traditional one I made yesterday, for the Jeûne Fédéral holiday,

which is always on the third Monday of September

in the canton of Vaud where I live.

The collage shows the different stages of the tart making.

The plums are dark purple in colour. They need a little sweetening

with Sucanat, a natural brown cane sugar.

I make my own shortcrust pastry from a recipe by Julia Child.

I hope that you are also taking pleasure in the joys of the season!

The Colour of August

There is no single colour that represents the month of August

but I get an overall impression of bright and joyful colours

which enchant me wherever I go.

Gorgeous sunflowers like this one above

growing in the grounds of the local Farmer's Market

The details in the flower centre are a sheer work of art!

On my daily walks in and around my neighbourhood

I discovered these beautiful Morning Glory blooms

generously providing lots of pollen for the visiting bees.

These flowers last but one single day

but there are always new buds in preparation.

The lovely cascading petals of this beautiful dahlia

captured by leaning over the fence into someone's garden.

Cone Flowers looking pretty in a nearby park.

Blanket Flowers

(Gaillardia aristata)

Growing for the first time on my balcony

and simply adored by the bees.

One can see the attraction to this gorgeous pollen-filled centre

I will definitely be growing these flowers on my balcony next year

I love bee and butterfly friendly plants!

The Gerbera Daisies

enhance a window box just next to my kitchen

Golden Tutsan flowers

This is a larger flowered variety of Hypericum or St. John's Wort

One thing I notice is that August's palette shows a lot

of yellow, pink, orange and red

but  I found a little blue Chicory flower on one of my morning walks

just to ring the change of all these warm colours!

The apples are looking good already

and I can't wait to eat my first apple of the season!

Seed-pods are starting to develop everywhere.

This month of August

has been very hot and even since July we've had

heat-wave after heat-wave with a few days of respite between each

with storms and a little rain to bring the temperatures down, provisionally.

I have often sought out the shade of leafy trees and early morning walks

before the heat builds up.

Sunsets have been beautiful

even here in town

where I manage to zoom between buildings to frame them

with tall trees which remind me of the countryside.

I can hear many people around me

wanting the summer months to last much longer

as they feel that winter lasts for far too long!

As much as I have enjoyed the profusion of flowers

and wonderful colours during this summer

I just love the arrival of autumn

and the wonderful lighting.

My favourite seasons are spring and autumn.

I love living in a country that experiences all four seasons

and I shall be relieved when the extreme heat

of this summer has dwindled into autumn breezes.