27 Sunday Nov 2016
‘Cardiff Dreaming’
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I’ve been for a walk
On an autumn day
(with apologies to The Mamas and Papas for degrading their lyrics)
Are you singing along?
20 Sunday Nov 2016
Bute Park is, well, beaut! Cardiff’s green heart has wilderness and playing fields; cycling tracks and walking paths; a stone circle; an ambling canal on one side and a roaring river on the other; grand avenues of ginkgoes and limes, and a botanical treasury of trees. Though some of my photos were taken 10 days ago, on a bright blue-sky day, the majority were taken during this afternoon’s long ramble hither and yon. Luckily, winter’s first official storm, Angus, which blasted the city with rain, hail and high winds over the past couple of days, hadn’t blown away all the splendid autumn hues but I fear this may be my last autumn post for this year … so, enjoy!
17 Thursday Nov 2016
I sure am glad I had a wander around my beautiful local cemetery yesterday, getting these photos, as today is cold and wet, with strong blustery winds, so I imagine most of the leaves will have been blown off their trees by tomorrow. I’ve blogged about the diversity of flora and fauna at this cemetery many times before but, in autumn, its huge variety of tree species becomes very apparent through the enormous range of shades to be seen in the dying leaves. Who would’ve thought there could be such beauty in death?
15 Tuesday Nov 2016
I’ve blogged about Heath Park before: 37 hectares of fields, woodland, a stream and two ponds, lots of biodiversity and one of my favourite places for invertebrates during the summer and fungi over the winter months. And, right now, its trees are painting the park red and orange and gold. It’s another stunning place to soak in these stunning autumn hues and crunch a leaf or two!
13 Sunday Nov 2016
We are having such a spectacular autumn here in Cardiff that I feel the need to share some of the stunning colour I’m seeing in my almost-daily walks in my local parks. I chose well when I found a flat across the road from Roath Park – or, at least, part of it, the recreation grounds, a large grassy area of playing fields. There are also pleasure gardens, a botanical and rose garden, a large lake, and an area called the wild gardens. The park contains a huge variety of trees, both native and exotic, so the colour at this time of year is just magical.
05 Saturday Nov 2016
‘How beautifully leaves grow old.
How full of light and colour are their last days.’
~ John Burroughs
01 Tuesday Nov 2016
From the poem ‘Autumn’ by my delightful cousin Jan Gemmell:
Autumn is fast approaching, and the leaves turn into gold,
The days becoming shorter, the soil becoming cold,
Yet it’s not all that depressing; glorious gifts abound,
There’s much to fill the heart with joy if one just looks around.
The trees are shedding mantles to prepare for season spring,
Brisk winds rustle dying leaves, and make the wind chimes ring,
I clothe my feet in sturdy shoes and crunch the falling leaves
Which tumble from the bushes and whirl around the eaves.
25 Tuesday Oct 2016
“Come little leaves,” said the Wind one day,
“Come over the meadows with me, and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold;
Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
~ an American children’s song written by poet George Cooper (1838-1927)
14 Friday Oct 2016
It’s a rather grey and gloomy Friday evening here in Cardiff so I think we need some brightening up. There aren’t a lot of flowers around now that autumn is well and truly here but the dandelions and their lookalikes continue to provide little bursts of sunshine on grassy swards, the rudbeckias (at least, I think that’s what they were) have just finished a magnificent show at my local park and, at the cemetery, the Fox and cubs blooms are adding wonderful spots of orange to the autumnal landscape. Happy weekend, everyone!
13 Thursday Oct 2016
‘Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.’
~ Emily Brontë, ‘Fall, Leaves, Fall’
earthstar 
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