It is a sure sign we are getting well into late Autumn early Winter mode when the nights start to draw in and we feel it happening a bit to fast up here as it is now dark by 7ish, so we must make the most of the daytime and see the beauty in the colours as we go into the second half of this month. I must apologise for one entry last month saying that shepherd Kevin was taking our flock away from the field in front of us, he actually just penned them up for I guess some treatment or another, as they are still roaming the field today.
16th.
Not from our garden but our friends down the hill, these lovely Gentian Violets are adding some real colour as you go up to their front door and I could not resist adding them to this months list of Autumn colour.
17th.
Talking of colour every year I put a shot of our Maple showing off it’s wonderful orange colours. It is not until I take the shot do I realise just how much growth this shrub has put on over the years, I used to be able to get the whole plant in within the shot. Now due to the rest of the garden having shrubs that would get in the way, I can only bring you a section of it. If I was a professional photographer I would have spent ten minutes clearing the falling Birch leaves off of it first but this just proves I am a lazy amateur.
18th.
Value for money again today three for the price of one.
Three leaves on our collection of Silver Birch, just about hanging onto the tree before joining the thousands that are now on the ground. In fact a couple that I was pointing the camera at when a wind got up just fell off before my eyes. Such a range of colours within each leaf just on one species of tree. You can see next years buds just dormant and already wait ing to grow, especially on the first shot.
19th.
A wonderful thing came through the post today, adverts on Scottish TV have told us to look out for the blue envelope in the post and be aware that it contains important documents and it did . This is the letter to call us for an appointment to get our booster jags (jabs to you south of the border). so we were happy to receive it. the only thing I was not to sure about is the date we are to get them……..See below.
A vaccination on Halloween, seems a bit scary to me, will they inject us or just take blood ??????
20th.
Went for a drink at the Mill today and took a diversion on the walk back to the car across the football pitch and thought, “not many people play their games with this sort of backdrop”. Of course I had my camera with me so decided to share this Autumnal view with you,
21st.
I know I have put shots like this on the blog at the start of the year, but believe it or not these two shots are from this morning and are additional to todays post , so that will be within my resolution. I am sure we are still in Autumn but as it went to just short of minus two overnight we thought we might get a small dump of snow on the Munro’s, but this is a fair bit for October.
I told you the sheep are still in the field in front of us and they have been re-marked in this very patriotic colours, red white and blue, all so very British . Took this first thing this morning before they had got up from their overnight sleeping positions and with this cold and strong wind, who can blame them from having a lay in.
22nd.
Those that read my blog are well aware that during winter I never like the full moon as it always seems to coincide with cold weather. Just realised the full moon was two days ago when we had snow on the hills which only enhances my theory. Even with my dislike it still provides a wonderful time to take photos of it, as I hope I demonstrate here, this was 7.45 this morning as it was starting to go down in the West, on a cold crisp day, with I am glad to say, not much cloud cover.
23rd
Went down to the Mill for a coffee today only one week left before they close for the Winter, so got three loaves to fill the freezer to keep us going for a while. On the way back I decided to look up the Castle Drive to see what Autumn colour the avenue of trees had showing. They did not disappoint, just imagine being a visitor in that car and driving up to a wonderful fairy like castle like Blair along such beauty before you ever see it. A great delight.
24th.
One of my sons gave me a light box for my still life photography and as it is a wet day I have been experimenting with various backgrounds to this cluster of Acorn and Leaves that I picked up while out on a walk. Still cannot make up my mind what is the best background colour to support the subject, but am leaning towards the black at present, as I feel the white shows to many shadows and the green looks to artificial? Where the black just shows off the Oak rather than also seeing the background. Must admit to you, I had to cheat a bit on these shots as the Acorn came out of it’s cup just as I put it in the box, so re-attached it with some Blue Tac, hence it looks a bit away from the cup.
25th.
Looking out of the bedroom window this afternoon, the sun was going lower and was shining up from our drive and the Prunus bush in the garden looked wonderful. Being back lit and with raindrops on it , it looked like somebody had thrown jewels all over it (I wish), so I opened the top window and pointed the camera in the right direction (to high for me to look through the eyepiece) and hope I have captured some of that magic in the shot above.
26th.
The hill across the glen from us is starting to really take on some great colour mainly due to the Larch starting to colour up before they lose their needles. On a dull rain filled day like this you look out of the window to this view and it definitely brightens your day.
Today also brings up a milestone day, this is my 300th photo on this New Years resolution challenge of taking a different shot every day, just 65 to go to the end of the year, hope I can complete my challenge.
27th.
A real lazy shot today, it has poured with rain for most of the morning and I did not really fancy going out walking, so when we went to The Mill for bread and coffee, plus the corner shop I just pointed the camera out of the car window at the tree opposite beside the road and got this shot. I do like it though showing the outer branches of the tree stripped of it’s leaves already and how the density improves as you get to the centre. The colours are what true Autumn is up here in “Big Tree Country” as Perthshire is known.
28th.
Walking past this pole we have to support a rambling rose and noticed something growing in the v of it, turns out to be this weird little fungus. I am sorry I have looked at it in my mushroom book and cannot see it anywhere, there are many similar that grow in grass, within woodland but can find none that grow on dead Silver Birch.
The first shot is of the pole itself and the others a bit closer, in the second one it looks a bit like a hand, maybe this is just me preparing for Halloween.
29th.
I never tire of this view from our kitchen up into the garden, even on a wet miserable day like today the Birch losing their leaves and carpeting the ground, or the heathers still blooming lovely for us add to this the scurry of birds that will appear after I have fed them and it is a postcard scenery to me. This also relates to the steepness of the slope we have from the top to the bottom.
Behind the lefty hand Birch is where we have established the meadow “patch of the garden, with the Yellow Rattle I showed you earlier in the year and in that strip between the two main Birch trees are the Heather beds with summer and winter heathers brightening the area. Right at the top middle is a large evergreen that provides a great cover for the birds in winter . So hopefully you can se why we love this view.
30th.
Loch Dunmore (where I go coarse fishing) looking splendid in it’s Autumn colours. Normally this time if the year we would be coming to the end of The Enchanted Forest light show that attracts 80,000 to see it, but due to COVID it did not go ahead for the second year running.. Which is such a shame not only for the hotels and traders in Pitlochry but also for me as I get really involved in helping set it up and dismantle the whole thing. The crews who do it are just first class fun and now good friends that I have really missed our annual reunion.
Though it was raining today when I took these shots you have to admit that nature puts on it’s own amazing colourful light show, just wish the weather was a bit better and the fish were biting.
31st.
Started this section of the month with the title Darker Nights, from last night it is even earlier “darker nights” as the clocks went back, gloomy times.
Today has been the worst day for ages weather wise, really strong winds and heavy rain, the above shot is of our back path and has been puddles of water all day, though the Silver Birch leaves make it look like it is paved with gold coins. Not the day to go out but we both had to this morning as we had our COVID booster jag at 11am, no ill effects as yet, but glad to have had it.
That brings us to the end of another month just two to go, I do hope I can keep going, let us just hope for better weather.