Pumpkins, Leaves and Halloween

It's finally time to embrace Autumn. The properly brisk weather has been slower to come this year (as have the leaves along with it) but that has made for some cosy days of knits and scarves without worrying about winter coats yet. I was standing around outside a pub in the evening last week, perfectly comfortable in just a light jacket. The only thing that moved us inside was a brief downpour of rain. As for rain, there has been some, but none of it persistent, and there have been quite a few of those beautiful days of crisp air and clear skies, that are just perfect for walks. And now, today, the clocks have turned back an hour and the nights will be drawing in... As I've written about previously, I love the weekend when we switch back to Greenwich Mean Time, and not just for the bonus hour of sleep.

Dress: Second-hand, picked up by my mother, and passed to me
Cardigan: Hand-made by my mother
Boots: Beyond Retro, London
Scarf: Second-hand, can't remember where
Brooch: Fabhatrix, Edinburgh

But the backdrop to this particular post is actually my visit to Kew Gardens last weekend. Yes, I've been back again already, as part of my aspirations to see it in every season and in as many months as possible. And my seasonal visits will, naturally, be accompanied by seasonally appropriate dress. Unlike my previous visits to Kew, this time I went solo, but was able to get some shots of my outfit by befriending one of the oak trees there. I hung my camera off him and went for a wee dance under his boughs.

As I said, there hasn't been much need for proper coats yet so last weekend I was comfortably able to show off my hand-knitted cardigan and velvet dress without fear of freezing, even after a long walk through the gardens. I partnered my dress and cardigan with two-tone brown boots and an unmistakably Autumnal scarf and brooch, as seen in the picture below (taken alongside another friendly, colourful tree).

And wait, what's this I found? A dark, dark, almost black pumpkin?

Well, I picked him up from the selection on sale, which included some of the many varieties in the wonderful display at the Waterlily house. Did you ever see so many pumpkin varieties in your life??

I also considered taking one of the blue ones but they were bigger and it would have been heavier to carry home with me. And I was happy with my wee Kabocha and his dark tones.

Following the pumpkins, I went on further explorations of the gardens, to enjoy the leaves and spot what other things were out and growing or flowering or changing.

I also took some time to enjoy the Rose Garden Tea Party, which finishes up next weekend...

So, a successful and fun October visit to Kew Gardens. I certainly learnt a lot about pumpkins and the multitude of varieties. 

I leave you with some Halloween-appropriate painted pumpkins. Less than a week to go!

The Last of the Season's Roses...

... and a French manicure with a peppermint twist.

The next post will introduce more seasonal colours, I swear. But my silver nail polish and my pastel green nail polish caught my eye the other evening so I thought I'd do some fun experimentation.

And then I went for a weekend wander, on the hunt for autumn leaves, but late roses caught my eye instead, still heavy with rain drops after an Autumn shower.

Remember, Remember, Plop the Owl

My soundtrack this evening is fireworks bursting, popping, fizzing, whizzing, exploding and rumbling from north, south, east and west, near and far. Oh, I absolutely adore Guy Fawkes Night.

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Living in a wee, tiny flat in the middle of London, I don't really have the option of having a celebratory party in my garden but I can enjoy the fun of unexpected bursts coming from all around me, occasionally catching a glimpse of a shower of stars in between buildings.

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My best Guy Fawkes Night was when I found myself staying out with relatives down near the south coast in a wee village. A massive, massive bonfire was lit in a nearby field and random fireworks went off all evening in the wonderful, still air of the countryside. Every year I think about reprising that night with a trip out to the countryside to partake in a local village bonfire night, but it never seems to eventuate. 

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So, instead I enjoy the sounds of an old tradition in the big, modern city of London which is, in itself, admittedly rather lovely. 

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Guy Fawkes always reminds me of that favourite childhood book too, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Does anyone else know this book? It tells the story of Plop the baby barn owl, who is, as the title suggests, afraid of the dark. He is forced out of the nest to face his fears, and goes on adventures, meeting people and hearing about all the wonderful things the dark can be. The chapter, "Dark is Exciting" is set on Bonfire Night and Plop meets a young boy who is looking forward to the fireworks. In other chapters, Plop discovers that dark is kind, fun, necessary, fascinating, wonderful and beautiful.

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So perhaps my love of both Guy Fawkes Night and owls can partly be attributed to this one book? In any case, my friend Barnaby and I decided to do a wee, impromptu photo shoot inspired by the book in celebration of Guy Fawkes Night. (Note my seasonally appropriate scarf...)

Barnaby and I meet and he begins to tell me his story

I'm shocked to hear that an owl could possibly be afraid of the dark!

And saddened to hear how difficult it is for him.

I convince Barnaby to watch the fireworks with me, and he timidly peeks out as I hold
his wing tight...
Perhaps the dark isn't so bad after all? 

"Now it is the Fifth of November"

Down in the park

In the last of the light

Among the stray dogs and families

I smell the bonfires and 

Watch the bombs

Fireworks burst above the trees

Into pillows of white cloud

And another year has gone

Now it is the fifth of November

The Bluebell - Patrick Wolf

Bluebells - Patrick Wolf

from the album, The Magic Position (2007)

Hurrah!  Guy Fawkes Night tomorrow!  Hope everyone has a cracker of a weekend!  (Excuse the pun...)

And, actually, let's have a little more Patrick Wolf while I'm here:

The Libertine - Patrick Wolf

from the album, Wind in the Wire (2005)

I love androgynous, violin-playing, modern-Victorian-street-urchin Patrick Wolf, with his songs based in ancient mythology, the Cornish wilds and the literature of Virginia Woolf.  So beautiful, so unique, so exhilarating.  And perfect for this season - as the nights grow longer and the frosts set in, his first four albums go onto heavy rotation, particularly Wind in the Wires and Lycanthropy.  But it continues to deeply upset me that his most recent album is complete and utter pants.  I'll just have to go back to pretending that it never happened and that we're back in 2003:

To The Lighthouse - Patrick Wolf

from the album Lycanthropy (2003)

Back to Greenwich Mean Time

This is one of my most favourite days of the year.  The day the clocks go back, when we leave British Summer Time and return to Greenwich Mean.

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I know lots of people hate losing that hour of light at the end of the day but I love it.  I think it's entirely Romantic (with a capital "R", that is, in the vein of the Romantic movement).  I love being out as the sky darkens early, whilst shops and cafes and museums remain open, with warm, glowing light pouring through their windows, and people still hustling and bustling about.  

Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott clock, 1900-1905 (Source: V&A)

I love the weather - brisk and cold, perhaps with some weak sun, perhaps with a bit of drizzle, but always encouraging you to pull your coat around you and breathe in the cold air.  It's invigorating and exciting.  Winter is on its way and we're in for short days and long, cosy nights.  I do love the deepness of the darkest winter months that are rapidly drawing nearer.

David Bouquet clock, c.1650 (Source: V&A)

It bothers me immensely that the government are talking about having British Summer Time hours in winter and "double summer" in the middle of the year.  For one thing, it doesn't mean we'll have any more light, it just means that the mornings will stay darker even later, making it especially hard to get out of bed.  I don't mind the sun setting early but dark mornings are a challenge!

Clock of unknown maker, Staffordshire, c.1760-1780 (Source: V&A)

Secondly, I think it's an absolute travesty that we will never be on Greenwich Mean Time!  As an historian, that really bothers me.  It has its roots in our proud maritime history, with ships being able to calculate their longitude using GMT, therefore being vital to navigation.  Its history also embraces another era of great significance - the Industrial Age - when the railways were laid out across Britain.  This was when the whole nation adopted GMT as it allowed more sense to be made of railway timetables.  Prior to this, each area had its own local time.

Lewis Foreman Day clock, c.1880 (Source: V&A)

The changing of the clocks isn't that old a practice, only having been introduced in 1916 during the First World War, partly as a measure to save on coal.  The thought was that if the evenings were lighter for longer, less fuel would be needed for lighting.  It's stuck ever since then but, as part of this current, silly debate about GMT, British Summer Time, and Double Summer Time some people are mooting for the tradition to be abolished, so that we are permanently on Summer Time - in line with the rest of Europe.

B.E. Co Clock, 1935 (Source: V&A)

Anyway, enough of that silliness.  I, for one, hope that it stays the same so that we don't lose the small delight of the changing clocks each autumn and spring.  But for the moment, I'll just enjoy the rest of my long evening on this, the first back in GMT.  Think it's time for a glass of wine and a bit of classic horror in honour of Halloween tomorrow.  If only I had some chestnuts on hand to roast and tuck into as I watched...

Happy Sunday, everyone!

September Personified

It's the first day of September!

I do love autumn, so the arrival of September pleases me somewhat.  And I'm celebrating by sharing this lovely personification of the month with you, my lovely readers.

I picked up a postcard of this image when I was in Dresden last year (a love letter from Germany?).  The artist is Eugene Grasset and it's part of a series called La Belle Jardiniere which follows a garden through all the months of the year.  Grasset was a Swiss graphic designer who lived from 1845 to 1911 and was known for producing posters in Art Noveau style.

His ladies for all months and seasons delighted me when I stumbled upon them.  I do adore seasonal and monthly personifications and symbolism.  You find them in architecture, fine arts and decorative arts right through the ages and it always gives me great pleasure perusing the different interpretations that have been made of nature and human occupations and celebrations through the year.  Similarly, I love it when the same is done with the elements, the Continents and for arts, sciences, etc.  I enjoy trying to identify which is which based on the symbolisms and other visual representations used.

As these things don't stand nearly so well on their own, I'm going to go beyond September and give you Grasset's three ladies for the autumn months.  I considered posting the whole year but decided it would be nicer to split it up into quarters instead so that each season can be appreciated separately.  Hopefully, I will remember to return with the next installments in December, March and June...

But for now, I hope you will delight in comparing the pictures - watching the changes in flora, in the gardeners' duties, in colours, in light, in ambiance and, rather cleverly, the use of the Zodiac symbols in the dress patterns!