Wednesday 31 August 2011

Golden Yellow and Purple Haze

The colours of Early Autumn
Golden yellow, pink and red and purple...


Look around and see...










Sunflowers in Greenwich Park ( and the Observatory)




Lovely Roses...




Golden yellow...does anyone know the name of these flowers?








The 'Secret Garden' - Charlton House










Charlton House
























May Peace Prevail on Earth






x
Susannah




Charlton House August 31st  MMXI




Sunflower and the Observatory at Greenwich park


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Lady Autumn



I saw Lady Autumn the other day, just a glimpse of her auburn hair waving with the wind...



"Come little leaves," said the wind on day.
"Come o'er the meadow with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
Summer is gone and the days grow cold."

As soon as the leaves heard the wind's low call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all.
Over the brown fields they whirled and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,
Autumn had called them and they were content.
Soon they will sleep in their soft earthly beds
Waiting for winter to cover their heads.


The signs of Autumn are very visible, the transition between end of Summer and early Autumn is there right in front of our eyes, it happens each day , but you have to be very observant...


As I walk a lot, I walk everywhere, and I walk past nice gardens and leafy area of Greenwich and Blackheath, I have noticed the very first signs of Autumn...








I walk every morning at around 7 am passed pretty gardens through Blackheath Village and at other times during the day I may go passed Greenwich quiet roads, near the park. I am basically an outdoor person and love walking and most of all I love peeping into lovely spaces, gardens, parks, backyards and  green spaces. 
So here are some of my favourite gardens and all the pretty things I spot each day!




It is not the damp ground, nor the Sunflowers and the blackberries....it is not the cooler nights and darker mornings, nor the apples and pears on the trees growing...
for me it is the quality of the light: the sky when blue is brighter and when cloudy is more dramatic, with more contrast and clean cut edges, even the shadows seem neater. The days are still long, nature is in full bloom and the air is alive with energy! Yes, the air is crisp, the colours more vibrant, the night sky seem to be brighter and the stars seem more visible too!



KOMOREBI

The light that shines through the branches of the trees...

One of my favorite Japanese words is 'komorebi.' A combination of four characters, it eloquently captures the essence of a phenomenon which cannot easily be expressed in English. Arguably the best translation might be sunlight shining through the trees, but even this phrase is just that, a translation.




A peaceful looking garden in Lee Road




captured by my camera...amazing!



A tree in Blackheath Park road


gardens in Blackheath Park, Cator Estate


















Inspired by Mediterranean colours



Geometry and nature

Maestoso


very neat and well manicured gardens....

some of these houses make the road very pleasant

Grandioso!




and here the proof that Lady Autumn has knocked at the door



amazing colours




reds and 


yellows...

and pinks...

A lovely garden in Greenwich






on a sunny day last Sunday...

St Michael and all Archangels, Cator Estate, Pond Road, Blackheath Park Road

Tree in church garden



And the squirrels are getting busy now! Watch out!


x


Susannah

Saturday 27 August 2011

A nice trip to West Hoathly

Last week we went to East Grinsted on a train and stayed at friend's in Hoathly Hill community West Hoathly; this is a community formed in the 70's I believe, based on environmental awareness and simple living. Also natural beauty and art features, with wild gardens, herb gardens, and manicured flower beds, mixed with sculptures in some unexpected corners and eye pleasing structures; these include a hall used for a kindergarten, another one for handwork, another building is the pottery, and so on...there are communal allotments and a large burner for burning wood, large enough to feed all the houses in Hoathly hill to keep everyone warm! Most people living there base their living on the understandings of Anthroposophy and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner
We went to visit some friends in Hoathly Hill, West Hoathly. This is a lovely place where the people live simply and with environmental awareness. 
I will let the photos speak more than my words!


One thing that strikes a visitor is the peaceful and natural surroundings and the beauty; the buildings and the structures blend nicely with nature and sculptures with organic forms are placed in unexpected corners of the gardens and paths that weave through this unusual spaces. There is a Kindergarten, a pottery, vegetable patches, various halls used as handwork spaces, offices, cafe/halls. 


A huge burner is there for wood chip to burn to warm each house.
You can see how it was built here and some pictures of the Hoathly Hill community too!


http://home.btconnect.com/hoathlyhill/hhr/blog.html




Nature and human beings in harmony



In the herb garden




Some of the houses


and their gardens




The pottery










Earlier the same day we went for a walk in West Hoathly, a very pretty little village and we saw the church gardens and this is the view from there





Such an unusual slope
 with cemetery

We thought we could see
Winnie the Pooh
 in the distance!










We went to see the Priest House gardens









Walking round and round the garden...like a teddy bear...
















We knew there were wild strawberries in there...somewhere...


There!




mmmmmmmmmmmm!






could get some more...
























can we pinch a few more mummy?


Just put the last one in my mouth and act not too suspiciously!
The cottage garden style is pretty impressive, we have  never seen so many flowers in one garden!


One very last strawberry mummy!




















the next day our friends took us to Plowhatch farm






This is where we got some eggs, cheese and freshly picked courgette, which is now in our quiche!


Morgana loved to visit this farm as this is where she spent three days camping with her class and teacher last year...this is the woodwork workshop building, made of, well, wood, of course!


We will wear our gum boots next time, for sure!








Meanwhile back home...resting and trying to make it tidy ( mainly getting the shelves sorted and all the school things in order)








As September approaches I feel the exciting adrenaline rush of changes to come, new adventures, new beginnings mixed with back to normal routine feeling...


Home sweet home














And our new fridge ( bigger, taller!)...




...with plenty of fresh food!






Unsettled weather, cooler nights, rainy days, and wonderful pink skies, evening sunsets...from my window seat at the back of the kitchen..




x Susannah