mythical sightings in the garden

it had been far too long since i had a proper leisurely wander in the garden with my real camera in hand. far too many shots of late have been snapped with my iPhone. but on this lazy leisurely sunday, where i've declared that i shall not leave my pajamas (you can put a coat over them and tuck them into your boots for a garden wander), i spent a good hour out in the cold, fresh, still, frosty world. my trusty photographic assistant molly the cat was there (turns out she's not that much help).

i managed to catch glimpses of a few mythical characters out there...a unicorn, a wizard and a popsicle-toting yeti. you never know what you'll see when you go out into nature and have a look.

i forgot how good such activities are for my soul. and speaking of things that are good for the soul, i'm going to be taking an online course - who am i now? with the wonderful kylie bellard during the first two weeks of january. if you'd like to join me, that would be awesome.

a morning wander with the camera

somewhere along the way, i got out of the habit of a morning wander in the garden with my camera in hand. maybe we had such a sunny, glorious summer that i began to take it for granted.

a few days of blustery wind and rain and much cooler temperatures have us thinking of autumn, so when it was sunny this morning, i grabbed the camera and headed out for a wander in the garden. this year, i don't dread autumn like i usually do because we had a real summer. that makes such a difference!

and besides, with autumn comes our raspberries, which are the late sort. the first few are ready, but so far it's only enough for a taste as i wander the garden.

not even enough to toss onto a bowl of yogurt and müsli. but they will come soon enough.

our mirabella tree is loaded this year after not having any at all for the past couple of years. i wonder why that is? i guess the conditions were just right this year. i've already made one batch of mirabella jam from some i got from a friend, but i'll soon make more, as we have a market coming up at the end of the month and i want to sell such things there.

the barley in the field next door must be nearly ready to harvest. but for now, we get to enjoy the golden expanse.

frost on the pumpkin (sans pumpkin)