Art and Beauty for Autumn -

What could be more enjoyable on a perfect Autumn afternoon.

For me, on Monday, it was a thought-provoking stroll over the

 gentle slopes of Dix Park above downtown Raleigh, with loved

 ones, to view a stunning international traveling outdoor art

 installation - WINGS OF THE CITY from world-renowned Mexican

 artist, Jorge Marin. This collection of nine bronze sculptures depicts

feathered figures in mid-flight or posed for takeoff, and acrobats.

The details of each piece are exceptional.

A stand-alone pair of beautiful wings frame a view of downtown

and are perfect for snapping a pose of someone you consider

'angelic'!

I hope you will enjoy a few photos of these beautiful bronzes.

Ángel Persélidas

Bernardo Oriental

Equilibrista 90

Abrazo Monumental

Split Monumental

Me with granddaughter Jasmin - Raleigh skyline from Dix Hill.

Enjoying a perfect November day.

ALAS DE MEXICO

Bob in an angelic mood!

Now if only I could fly!!!!!

An Autumn walk -

 It was so beautiful outside last Sunday.  

A perfect afternoon. 

Water called to me.

I needed a change of scenery.

A water view always helps.

We do have a beautiful lake - our local reservoir - just a 15 minute

 drive from home.

Falls Lake is a 12,410 acre reservoir located in Durham, Wake, 

and Granville counties in North Carolina, United States. Falls Lake extends

 28 miles up the Neuse River to its source at the confluence of the Eno, Little,

and Flat rivers. 

..........via Wikipedia

We parked and had to walk up a wooded incline to the lake and dam.  

Very few people were there. . . . . . several hawks were circling overhead. 

Nobody was fishing despite the lake being well stocked with several 

types of fish. One kayak passed silently by - I wished I was paddling it!

The clouds were beautiful and didn't stop the sun from shining down on us.

A light long tunic sweater over leggings was comfortable.

Not a lot of color in the trees yet but now that the nights are getting colder

 this will be changing. May have to go back this coming weekend to see

 the difference.

We took a little bench break.

At the last minute before leaving home, I'd tucked a tiny bottle of chilled

 Chardonnay (from a recent wedding we attended) and two small glasses 

in a bag. Just a few sips each in the sun, cheering the day - but I did cling

 to Bob's arm as we cautiously clambered back down through the

 wooded area, just in case I tripped!  

Next time I'll make a Thermos of tea as it will be much colder I'm sure.

Back at the cottage things are changing.

Bob's efforts to keep the leaves picked up under the fig tree, plus the huge

 acorn fall from the oaks have kept him busy and bending!

Now all the leaves are off the fig and the birds are busy feeding again.

The lanterns in the tree are replenished with new battery operated

candles, set to light earlier now the evenings are drawing in.

Sunset here is currently at 6:20 pm - then darkness falls.

Already, the pungent smell of evening wood fires wafts through the

neighborhood. We have yet to light our fire but will prepare for this

favorite winter change in the cottage over the coming weekend.

The chimney was swept last spring and we just have to bring the

fireplace tools, fire screen and hearth rug down from the attic.

As I've said before, I love this time of year.

“I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.”----- F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Goodbye sweet October days -

Autumn. October. Birthdays.

Always a busy month around here, October arrived and was full of 

occasions. Many family members and friends have birthdays. . . . and 

of course my own was tucked in there on the the 26th. I thank you all 

who sent such kind greetings. No matter how old we get it's always a

pleasure to be remembered, don't you agree?

This weekend we will say goodbye to what for me is probably the best 

month of the year. I'm staying close to home - including time in this chair

which is comfortable for my current back and leg issue. Still going to PT 

and doing exercises at home. Still waiting for the leaves to change color 

and soon begin falling. . . . . yes autumn is a season of slowing down

 and just waiting.

My birthday brought some enjoyable and unexpected gifts.

A new beautiful cookbook, SOUPOLOGY, from granddaughter Jasmin

 who knows exactly what excites my taste buds and gets me into the kitchen!

We do love soup around here and there are some tasty sounding ones

in this book.

The beautiful Voluspa candle from Anthropologie accompanied it, along with

 other special gifts. We love these candles in the the patterned glass jars -

this fragrance is a new one to me, Santiago Huckleberry (Ripe Huckleberry, 

Vanilla & Crushed Sugar Cane) in a Coconut Wax Blend. It smells just 

right for fall and the color is so beautiful.

I have lot of cookbooks (even after sharing some with others to make more

 space on my kitchen bookshelves!), but there's always a new one popping

up which I feel will be interesting to read, and perhaps glean a few new can't

 pass up recipes. THE FIRST MESS I'd seen online, even tried a couple of 

Laura's great plant-based recipes. This one I bought myself for my birthday

gift - I am going to enjoy it!

Everywhere looks clean after more heavy rain last night, and beautiful sunny

cooler weekend days are promised - nice for the children to celebrate

 Halloween if they venture out for Trick or Treats as the sun goes does

on Sunday evening!

This morning the bluebirds are back in the the now bare fig tree, always

a thrill. Other birds are returning too - probably as we're feeding again. 

Expect bird photos, along with the usual suspects, squirrels, soon!

Enjoy your late October weekend - I'll catch up with you all in the coming

November days.

Thankful for -

 

Always colorful fun at the pumpkin farm!

This really is my most favorite little cook book for the autumn months and I'll

be making good use of it these coming weeks.

Fabulous recipes, both savory and sweet, from one of Britain's great food

 writers Brian Glover.

Today I'm baking pumpkin breads, and yes, I'm cheating by using Krusteaz 

brand pumpkin bread mix which is really good and quick! 

Usually I use Libby's seasonal pumpkin bread mix, also excellent, but this

 one caught my eye and I love it.

So today, one loaf for us, the other to welcome my new next door neighbors

 who just moved in over the weekend.

To use the bread for a dessert I'm adding a simple toffee sauce, and

 perhaps a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Here's the sauce recipe if interested. I usually make half the recipe.

TOFFEE SAUCE 

300g light muscovado sugar

284ml heavy cream

50g unsalted butter

Put the sugar, cream and butter in a small heavy-based saucepan

and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 3 mins, stirring to

 thicken slightly and make a smooth sauce. 

 

It's sweet but a small portion drizzled over is really enjoyable and turns

bread into cake!!!!

Yesterday I baked yet another galette - I'm hooked on these easy, 

one crust, rustic style 'tarts.'  

This one is a plum and apple combo, mostly plums, really good.

Addition of a dash of Chambord Black Raspberry liqueur rather than

 lemon juice, and a little grated butter over the top prior to baking, made

 it rich and tasty.

Do you enjoy baking on these lovely autumn days? 

Thanks so much for all the very kind good wishes in

regard to my 'down time' lately.  I'm OK but just want to 

be able to get about on foot and do things without pain!

I'm peering out the window right now and watching Bob in the

 glorious sunshine fiddling about in the garden.

Soon the leaves will be falling and he'll need help raking - I really

 want to be able to do that!

Happy Sunday. . . . . . and a great week ahead to you all.

The tangled threads of life -

transitive verb. 1a : to disengage or separate the threads of : disentangle.

 b : to cause to come apart by or as if by separating the threads of. 2 : to resolve

the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of : clear up unravel a mystery.

Life has had many moments lately where I've felt tangled in a web of 

unhappiness, loss and pain. I don't like to use my spot here in the blog

 world to 'air my dirty linen', moan and groan about aging and health

issues, disparage family or friends, or write reams about negative

 pandemic issues etc. 

I strive to make this my 'happy place' where I can share good things.

Nature, travel, the garden, decorating, photography, fashion, cooking and

 baking. During the past few weeks the deaths of two much-loved

 travel friends, one in the UK, the other in Arizona, and then last

 Friday a dear family member - a second cousin in the UK - have brought

 me great sadness.

My thoughts have been for the families of those three special people.

 All will be so missed by so many.

My own current personal mobility issue, due to what seems to be a

 major right leg hamstring strain, is making walking, bending, any

 type of movement, so painful. It's definitely knocking me for a loop! 

I started PT two weeks back and have to admit I've yet to receive

 any relief. I'm good about doing the exercises at home on days when

 I don't go to the facility, but I still have excruciating pain.

Anyway, I'll keep going and hope this condition will eventually be resolved

 and I can get out of bed and stand up in the morning without screaming!

********************

Leaving you with some pretty Autumn peeks for the weekend. . . . which

I hope will be enjoyable for you and your loved ones. 

Autumn Collage - 2020

My house - Autumn 2021

Knit one, pearl one. . . .

Purchased on my way to Antarctica ~ January 2013

Do you knit?

With cooler air flowing - here still only after sunset as days are still in

 the 80's - the click clack of knitting needles can be heard in my head.

 Now I just need to get my fingers loosened up.

I have to admit I'm just not up for big projects such as a really chunky, cozy

sweater or cardigan.  Following a pattern, usually printed in smallish type, is 

too hard on the eyes now. 

Store-bought, or an online purchase if you prefer, is much easier and much

 quicker.  A garment such as these can take a long time!  Winter would

 definitely be over by the time I completed something similar. . . .I'd be

 pulling the summer linen tops back out of storage. . . . .the ones I'm

 busy putting away this week!

As for cost, good quality yarn is not cheap. 

Buying a readymade sweater can be expensive if you're leaning toward

 good quality cashmere (my favorite), smooth, classic Merino wool, or silky, 

soft Alpaca, also a favorite. However, if you shop around there are some

 wonderful sweaters out there at more reasonable price points in blends

 of wool, acrylic, polyester, cotton, even yak fiber.

Way back in my teens I was quite a good knitter, making many sweaters

 and cardigans. Nowadays I'm knitting only scarves and neck cowls, usually

 while watching TV in the evenings. I can do this without having to bother

 with any patterns - plus I feel like I'm staying busy creating something rather

 than just wasting time staring at another screen - you know what I mean.

In all honesty, right now sitting at the computer, or in a chair with a heating pad

 is all I'm truly up for! Tomorrow I start physiotherapy which I hope will help

 with the pain in my right lower back/hip/leg. It's a month now since something

 went wrong and walking/bending has just become more painful, sleeping

 harder, and feeling good has been missing from daily life.

Yesterday Bob and I received our COVID booster - #3 Pfizer - at a local

 hospital. No side effects other than warmth and a slight ache at the injection site. 

We still go away from the house masked at all times - mandatory here indoors

 in public places, and we even keep them on when passing people outdoors.

After the hospital yesterday we headed to the mall to run a couple of

 errands - before my Tylenol wore off!  Amazed at how many, mostly young

people, were not wearing masks in the shops, even though all store 

personnel were!

Leaving you with something pretty. . . . . . . this lovely pumpkin/fireplace

 setting. Not mine but I do need to start doing something soon to make mine

 look more seasonal.  I'm hoping to make it to the pumpkin farm this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend - it's almost here.