Leaving home ---------------

This could be my 'last rose of summer' - a yellow Peace tucked in between 

two huge now withered hydrangea bushes.

Did it bloom to say "goodbye" as we leave, hefting the cumbersome luggage 

down the driveway for our ride to the airport later?

We stowed all garden knick knacks, seat cushions, bird feeders, umbrella etc., 

anything able to blow around and cause damage in a windstorm.

First leaves falling from the fig tree - on yet another already sweltering morning.

Very little autumn color here yet, but perhaps on our return it will have cooled at
 long last, the leaves will have changed to gold and rust, and hopefully rain - a lot
 of soaking rain - will have fallen to end the serious drought conditions. 

When we leave town this afternoon the temperature will be 99F/37C - hard to
 believe this is October and each day is breaking heat records here.

Next post should be from London when we arrive tomorrow and have an
 overnight at Heathrow, then on to Lisbon Saturday where we board the
 ship . . . . . . . or, if not from there, who knows where! This trip is going to so 
many places and I'm hoping to blog when Internet is available!
At least it will be cooler our first few days in Europe . . . . . . . . . . . I'm so
 looking forward to that, plus wearing boots and a sweater at long last!

Enjoy your October days.

Nature's extraordinary world. . . . . . .

. . . . . I'm sharing the Peace rose again. 

This morning she is full blown, glowing, and even more gorgeous!

More buds are also opening.

Little bees have been buzzing around her. . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . and the terra cotta cherub family is almost smiling.

  

It's so hot here - already 82F and heading up to 87F by late afternoon. 

Phew, much too hot for me, and others.

Perhaps the mama House finch whose nest is up above the roses in the

 hanging Boston fern is truly feeling the heat! Yes, she's a real mama now

as her first tiny baby hatched this morning.

One new little life - hopefully there will be three more soon.

I'll be watching the nest closely, but carefully, over the weekend. . . . . 

and hoping no predators show up on the front porch of course.

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are.


Update: Saturday morning 7:30 AM

We now have triplets!

Working to make a good life. . . . . . . . .

My first Spring rose, Peace, opened this week, 

and what a perfect flower it is.

There are several more buds readying to bloom 

bringing beauty and fragrance to the garden.

Early this morning we had our coffee on the front porch, enjoying the roses,

the many birds at the feeders and those coming back and forth to their

 nests, the scurrying squirrels, early morning walkers passing by. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . all the quiet noises of the new day.

Yes, it is a good life when you put your heart into it.

Weather woes. . . . . . . . .

 I was up early today knowing the gardening crew we hired would be arriving

 to work on cutting, clearing and removing my lovely overgrown small trees,
 shrubs and plants along the front of the cottage. We are preparing for power
 washing, exterior wood repairs and a fresh coat of paint, so need
 unencumbered access for the carpenters, painters etc.

Memo to self: 
1. In the future cut back on planting everything I fall in love with at the
 garden center.
 2. Engage services of others when it come to keeping up with the big garden
 jobs from here on out.
3. Travel less!

We moved a lot of potted plants ourselves yesterday, ornamental ivy, small

 potted conifers, Summer herbs and fading annuals. Also moved lanterns,
 birdbaths and garden ornaments before heavy rain came late in the day. 
garden

Morning sun at the kitchen window.

Today started with bright sunshine, cooler temperatures, and continued
 until this evening, a near perfect weather day. Hopefully this is not the lull
 before the storm!
No rain expected for a few days but who knows what is going to happen
 when Hurricane Irma makes up her mind as to which direction she will take
 north from Florida this weekend.
We have lived through several hurricanes right here in
 Raleigh even though we're 2 hours inland from the coast - and have had severe
 damage to our home, cars and property. The most intense damage was
from Hurricane Fran which made a landfall here on September 5, 1996.
Fran hit us at night and was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained
 winds of 115 mph. We were without power for almost two weeks.
   Sadly 26 people were killed here during Fran, and $4.16 billion in damages
 made it the most expensive natural disaster ever for North Carolina. 

Irma is a category 5 packing sustained winds of 175 mph!

We are scared!

Calm in the front garden just after sunrise today.

Mr. Northern Cardinal who seems to love hanging out here in the south, but 
may be safer flying north by Sunday.

Today's garden visitors included the usual cardinals and finches, plus a lovely bright

surprise, a pair of precious goldfinches.

Good pickins' from the garden today - what may well be the last of enough

 basil to make one more batch of pesto to freeze for Winter. One good looking 

jalapeño pepper from my neighbor's plant. . . . . . . .and the rose? 

The last welcome bloom for some time from the pretty rose named PEACE.

This very old plant is now cut down as part of the ground clearing in front of the front

 porch - however she's a sturdy girl so I hope will return later with more fragrant flowers.

My thoughts tonight are with not just my own friends in Florida, but also with you if

 you are there, and your families and loved ones who might live there also. 

I pray you will all be spared injury and damage to your homes. Irma really does look

 like an unforgiving, horrific storm at this time, and now Hurricane Jose is following

 behind and growing stronger. . . . . . . .all of us in the southeast are really scared, 

and that's no lie!

My comfort zone today……………

 It's time for a garden post because, after last night's

showers, we awoke early this morning to a refreshed view 

from the windows. We decided, after breakfast, to put 

in a few hours of work pruning, pulling out weeds, 

overgrown ivy and periwinkle, digging out a couple of dead 

plants, and cutting back the old climbing roses along the 

back fence - their trellis needs replacing - and they were

just not flowering well the past two seasons.

The Peace Rose has blooms again, it never fails

to amaze me.

 

 Before doing all that, once the sun was shining and things 

were drying off, I grabbed a camera and took some pics of 

freshly washed flowers and pumpkins.

I must tell you, I had nary a bloom on my hydrangeas this 

past Spring and Summer - due apparently to our unusually 

cold Winter for this southern area. Now here it is Autumn, 

and this bush is blooming quite profusely, beautiful blues, 

some already turning a pinkish-mauve soon to be cut for 

drying and decorating indoors.

 This is my yellow pumpkin, note it's not an 

orange one! It reminds me of a lovely sunset. 

I do love the Autumn garden - until the leaves 

start falling and all that raking and blowing 

becomes hard work. 

It's still warm, so until then I will enjoy taking tea 

on the front porch, watching the birds at the 

feeder - today there were cardinals, chickadees and 

bluebirds - surrounded by Nature's lovely colors.