November Days

What does November hold?  Wet breezy days,  falling leaves, darker evenings, misty mornings, frosty cobwebs and the first fogs,  occasionally the first snow too.  
Wet gardens covered in fallen leaves from the now skeletal trees. The bang of fireworks on most nights but especially on the fifth brings back memories of childhood bonfires, of warmth from the fire, hats scarves and gloves, sparklers and baked potatoes from the fire.  Making the Christmas pudding on Stir-up Sunday and in between that and Bonfire Night the solemnity of Remembrance. 

 Towards the end of the month festive  lights will be switched on across cities, towns and villages and households vie to see who will have their Christmas lights up first.

I love the curlews on the November page of the calendar.  It's time to turn to

Warming soups with homemade bread.  Above cauliflower, cheddar and kale soup.

and good books to read.  The latest novel in the Simon Serrailer series by Susan Hill and the latest Mephisto and Stephens novel from Elly Griffiths one of them starts with a funeral the other ends with one. Also on the small pile is 'Hidden Lives' by Cathryn Walton.  It's about the women members of Leek Embroiderers Society which was founded in 1872.

The Tulip Tree in the garden has gradually taken on a different hue over the last week.

in the last few days it has turned  from the gentle colour above to the more vibrant colour below.

 It's the colour of orange marmalade and

it has looked wonderful in the different light of both the early mornings and at dusk.   The colours of Autumn have been outstanding this year.

Fallen leaves have been raked into piles and within minutes have been replaced by others swirling in the breeze and drifting across the gardens like falling snowflakes.

The Squirrels have been busy burying, bustling and chasing each other across the garden.

They look very plump and healthy 

The garden is covered in fallen leaves

We've also had feline visitors to the garden

Pip lives across the road.

This is a new cat who chases those chasing squirrels high up into the Tulip Tree.

Peanut who visits our garden every day lives across the road with Pip and a tortoiseshell cat called Pumpkin.

It must be getting colder as the town pigeons (rock doves) visited in a gang to pinch the breadcrumbs we had put down for the wood pigeons and collard doves.  They seemed to enjoy the homemade bread.