colours

Today I decided to paint some shoes. 2 pair were yellow and purchased cheaply in sales. one pair were black and I don't normally do black if I can help it. So the Lumiere paints came out:)

 these were the plain black. i used a pencil with eraser tip to add colour and then trailed glitter around each dot.

 these were yellow, bright yellow and so not me.

 These also were a yellow and again not me so Indigo lumieres to the rescue

Then a picture of them all together, and yes I do seem to have a spotty theme going;)

The thing is that if I get bored I can always repaint. 

Off to a new yarn festival tomorrow. Yarndale in Skipton. Sounds promising and its always good to meet up with friends which is the main reason Mr Mog and I are going.  Just doing the one day as we have other plans for Sunday and TBH  it will be a wee bit strange going as  visitors and not being involved with the interactive area which both Woolfest and Wonderwool have and where we and many friends, fund raise for the air ambulance.

Autumn

Autumn is well on its way. The dusk and dawn hold promise of winter on their breath. a chill in the air after the heat of this years long hot summer. Leaves are changing, some already falling making circular carpets around the base of the trees.
A confetti for the Old Ones, but also a reminder of the turn of the wheel. Days go by faster now, not just because sunset is over and done with before 9pm. But the daylight hours seem to have been fast forwarded. A speedy way of looking at things.
A time to get done what we have to outside before darkness takes over and says "enough".
I love this time of the year, I love the colours in the landscape. I love the evening skies, the splendour of each sunset fleeting though it may be.
We have had a fabulous crop of tomatoes from our hanging baskets of tumblers. Hundreds of sweet red fruits which have now been eaten or roasted in the oven with garlic and onions then made into soups for the freezer.
The alpine strawberries have also done well in this their first year. The intensity of the perfume and the taste an explosion in the mouth each time you eat one. I have used them in simple recipes so the flavour wasn't lost. Warmed gently with a teaspoon of local honey to release the juices then folded into a fool made with quark, fromage frais and yoghurt. Bliss and a sweetness all its own. I also added them to a blackberry crumble as it goes into the oven. So amongst the tart  fruit a gem of red sweetness twinkling in the  dark juices.
Several mixed in the crumble topping also as a surprise mouthful.
I notice the crab apples in the avenue are ripening and wonder if to pick a few or not? The house across from us has elderberries turning purple and she never uses them. I wonder if she would allow me to harvest them? I would like to make Elder Rob for winter colds and maybe a little wine to bubble gently in the hearth.
I must ask her. She also has an abundance of apples that she leaves to drop. occasionally she puts some on the wall for passers by.

Mabon blessings

Autumns change this year is proving to be quite hard for me. The Equinox tides are strong inside and have made me feel very emotional.

 I am not sure why this turn of the wheel is so hard, but it is.

 Is it the sudden change  from golden summer to autumns chill and damp?

 I have had a real longing  for Glastonbury, a real urge to go down and visit old haunts. But my sensible side reminds me that long journeys are still too painful for my new knee.

 Every journey hurts at the moment, even a short trip to the next county does it. So how a trip of 4 to 5 hours would be I have no idea. But I can guess.

 I have also had a need to be in amongst trees and ever changing colours, well it is autumn equinox after all.

 Yesterday was going to be that day but continual rain put paid to it. I am a little fair weather woods woman at the moment.

 I don't mind damp or very cold but rain takes the edge of it for me at the minute. Possibly the aching knee has something to do with that.

 As i sat in bed this morning doing my morning pages I could see sunlight so "to the woods" was the cry. I didn't know which woods or where but woods it had to be.

 I wanted to smell the leaf mold, and to taste the years turn on the back of my throat as I breathed deeply.

 I wanted to feel the leaves as the first ones dropped gently on to my upturned face.

 I wanted to sit against the trunk of a tree and still my breath to a slow,slow inhale then exhale and just be.

 No dashing, no anything but stillness amongst the trees. I may see the green man or I may see the goddess out the corner of my eye as she dances in her cloak of reds and golds.

 If I do I will feel truly blessed, but if I don't I will still feel blessed to be a part of natures turning glory.

 A true delight to have marked the Equinox and the turn of the wheel in a simple meaningful ceremony.

I will come home and feast on apples bright red ,from my daughters tree, baked into a golden crumble with oats local honey, nuts and spices. I made her and my grandsons some apple strudel and an apple crumble for their freezer last week as part payment. I have promised another pudding in due course.

 Well I did most of that:) and as you can see collected some of Gaia's bounty to return home with.

 over 2.5 kg of blackberries that are now resting in the freezer until needed.

I have also prepared another large carrier bag of apples,they have been peeled ,baked in the oven with local honey and now are frozen in bags for later in the winter to remind me of the Equinox day we have just had. I've two more large carrier bags of apples to do over the next few days and a friend has also dropped off a large bag of plums from his tree. I swapped him those for a plum crumble and a beef and beetroot curry for his tea.

A fair exchange  for both of us.
So how did you celebrate the Equinox?