Five on Friday on Saturday: September Doings

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree."

EMILY BRONTË

We've had some lovely autumnal days where the sun was warm and the air was crisp. The last couple of days, however, have been grey and bitter with sharp winds from the northwest.

Autumn in all her moods unpacks... leaves are turning yellow... birds are gathering for long flights south... late roses bloom outside my window. It's a favourite time of year and a favourite combination of those warm yet crisply refreshing days. It's true what the Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges once said, "There is no day without its moment of paradise."  I find it especially so in Autumn.

Here is a little Five on Friday post... a little late but C'est la vie!

One: Mom's Move

The week went by in a blur. Everything was finally packed on Monday, moving day was Tuesday, and the last couple of days we worked to get everything unpacked and in place so Mom could settle, and nest, without having to sort through boxes and bins. There are still pictures to hang, but there's no hurry for that. She is already loving her new place—what's not to love about big windows and a room with a view that overlooks the garden, benches, and a glider swing for afternoon reveries, not to mention a greenhouse for keen 'resident' gardeners to work away in. My great joy is that Mom is now closer to where I live...a hop, skip, and jump across the street which makes visiting and helping so much easier.

Two: September Reading

I enjoyed gathering a few favourite books that I look

forward to reading this month. All are cozy and gentle reads.

  

September (novel)

by Rosamunde Pilcher

The Fortnight in September (novel)

by R.C. Sherriff

Autumn Anthology (National Trust, UK)

by Melissa Harrison et al.

The Country Commonplace Book

(Autumn Section)

by Miranda Mills

Anne of Windy Poplars (novel)

by L.M. Montgomery

Sense and Sensibility (novel)

by Jane Austen

Victoria Magazine September issues

(from late 1980s to current)

Three: Pork Chops, Apples & Onions

I found a lovely recipe on the Martha Stewart site some years ago using apples and onions with pork chops. It has been an autumn favourite ever since. The mix of apples and onions on top the braised chops is simply delicious. Mashed potatoes are a great side dish. Simply braise chops until golden brown (10 minutes), slice apples, onions and sauté them (eight minutes), finish cooking everything for another 15 minutes or so. You'll find the recipe HERE. (Sorry, no pics, I ate my supper before I remembered to take photos.)

Four: Seasonal Quotes

"She could not stay in the garden. The hollyhocks

and the asters and the late roses all seemed to be

waiting for something to happen. It was one of those

still, shiny autumn days, when everything does

seem to be waiting."

EDITH NESBIT, from The Railway Children, 1905

*

"Welcome to you rich Autumn days,

Ere comes the cold, leaf-picking wind."

W.H. DAVIES, from the poem Rich Days

I love that turn of phrase "cold, leaf-picking wind." 

To read the entire poem, click HERE.

*

"Winter is an etching,

spring a water color, summer an oil painting,

and autumn a mosaic of them all."

STANLEY HOROWITZ

*

"Oh, the joy of that lovely light that slants

into the house at this time of year."

BL

Five: Autumn Leaves

Found this leaf early one morning on our walk. It seemed almost translucent in the grass following a light rain in the wee hours. If you like that old 1940s song "Autumn Leaves" you can listen HERE. It's a lovely, melancholy piece which seems perfect for this time of year.

❦

On that note, I'm wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photos:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

August Sailed By

 “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

 F. Scott Fitzgerald

I can't let August go without writing at least one post. I cannot believe where the summer has flown to. But life is just a wee bit hectic with family things going on. 

I'm looking out on my garden of flowers. The hydrangea shrub thought it was a grand bush this season. It has to have been all the rain we had. All summer it hung loaded with bubblegum pink blossoms. I  realize now how much it had suffered during our drought years to see the exuberant contrast in this year's growth. 

The sun shines and the evenings are pleasant. One evening we went out for pizza to our favourite pizza place for our favourite #10 medium (onions, mushrooms, fresh tomato) with a starter Caesar salad to share. As we sat at the restaurant, we got to thinking about how many years we've been going to this particular place ordering the very same thing. We started going there shortly after we married. And that's coming up 28 years. At first we'd try different menu items, but soon we discovered we both loved the medium #10. And as the astute young waiter said, after I commented how we always order the same thing when we come, "Don't fix what's not broken."

A happy book moment. A memoir I ordered earlier in the month arrived. It's titled Howards End is on the Landing, A year of reading from home by Susan Hill. She's a British author (born in 1942 so she's closer to my mom's age than to me, she was born during WWII).

"Early one autumn afternoon in pursuit of an elusive book on her shelves, Susan Hill encountered dozens of others that she had never read, or forgotten she owned, or wanted to read a second time. The discovery inspired her to embark on a year-long voyage through her books, in order to get to know her own collection again." - from the back cover

Already I love it. Reading it is making all sorts of memories surface of my own book collection through the years. And now her stories make me want to revisit those books And I'm even toying with the idea of embarking on a 'year-long' voyage of reading only my own books (but don't hold me to that, I am too beguiled by all the great new books coming out this fall). Plus, I have a couple hundred books on my shelves I've never read yet. They do beckon. Still, I don't know if I could not buy new books for a whole year - haha.

My niece's outdoor wedding in July was beautiful. The weather was nearly perfect. A lot of thought and planning had gone into the details. The bride was glorious in her beautiful wedding dress. She looked soooo happy as she came down the hill to meet her dad who walked her down the grassy aisle.

I felt a welling up inside at the perfectness of it. Like in a fairy tale. And then when the first dance with the bride and groom—they played "At Last" by Etta James—oh my, that was another poignant moment. Both 29 they had each been 'waiting' for what felt to them like a long while, so the song was perfect. I loved watching as they danced in their own little world for those few moments. Here is a link to the song should you want to listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJU8G7gR_g

Our summer has been good. We've enjoyed the warm sunny days. Had chances to take little day trips to towns and places we haven't seen in a while (or maybe never). Doing more caregiving for loved ones. And we've been busy now getting Mom ready to move into her new suite (next week) where she won't have to cook for herself ever again—which makes my almost-91 mom very happy.

I can't promise what the weeks ahead will include... and whether I can get back to my regular posting on Fridays. But please know I think of you beautiful readers often and hope that you are all well. But I will try to stay in touch as much as I can. Thank you for your comments on previous posts—I do read each one even though I don't reply these days.

I am looking forward to September. In my books it's a hopeful month with new beginnings, like the beginning of a new school term. Where wanting to buy fresh notebooks and sharpen pencils and dig out the crayons still beckons with creative energy even after all these years.

I wish you a beautiful season ahead... whatever you are up to.

❦

Heart hugs,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Six on Saturday

“The earth laughs in flowers.”

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Happy Summer! We've had some beautiful weather. Calm and sunny mornings and long balmy twilight evenings. Wanted to share a few photos from a recent visit to our local botanic park. It was a busy summer afternoon when we went. Baseball tournaments were held in the next park. Various bridal parties posed for photos amongst the beautiful floral settings. We tried not to photobomb anyone as I took a few pics to show you.

One. Visit to the garden

One of our favourite local spots to visit from spring to autumn is the St Albert Botanic Park. An oasis of beauty and wonderment, this park is operated and maintained by volunteers (since 1992). It is open to the public from sunrise to sunset and boasts lots of well-situated benches for enjoying the views.

Two. From the gift shop

A small pottery bowl—large enough to hold a generous salad for two—caught my eye. I looked at it, picked it up, put it down, walked away, came back and popped the bowl into the shopping basket. I am loving using it. Many items in this delightful little shop are by local artists which makes purchases all the more special. 

Three. A cookbook question

Name a cook book on your shelf that's now well-stained or dog-eared pages from much use.

First is The New Purity Cook Book, The Complete Guide to Canadian Cooking (put out by the Purity Flour Mill back in the early to mid-twentieth century). Mom gave me a copy—it cost $1.25 at the time—when I was in high school to put away in my 'Hope Chest'. It's still my go-to for baking powder biscuits and pancake/waffles (you'd think I'd have the recipes memorized by now ha but I don't).

And the other is The Best of the Best from the Best of Bridge series, recommended years ago by a work colleague and friend. Favourite recipes include "Elsie's Garlic Mashed Potatoes", "Regina Beach Coleslaw", "French Toast Raphael", and "Orzo with Parmesan and Basil", to name a few.

What's the name of your favourite recipe book?

Four. Enjoyable summer reads

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

By Its Cover

by Donna Leon (novel, 2014)

Commissario Guido Brunetti gets a "frantic call from the

director of a prestigious Venetian library". Someone has stolen

several centuries-old books and cut illustrations from rare old volumes.

A visit to Venice via Guido Brunetti is always good for the soul.

In the Time of Five Pumpkins

by Alexander McCall Smith (novel, 2025)

Another venture in The No 1 Ladies' Detective series.

I enjoy Mme Ramotswe's gentle musings about life and living as

she and her cohort Mme Makutsi solve the current mystery of the day.

Under Gemini

by Rosamunde Pilcher (novel, 1976)

Flora impersonates her twin, Rose, for a weekend. It soon gets

complicated when she meets Rose's fiancé's family and uncovers

her sister's scandalous past. A lovely summer read.

The Forgotten Garden

by Helen Humphreys (novel, 2002)

A short historical novel set in WWII England.

Young horticulturist Gwen Davis leaves London for the

Devon countryside to instruct a group of girls in growing

crops for the home front on a beautiful but neglected

country estate. She also discovers a long forgotten garden.

Beautiful descriptions.

Five. A little Jane Austen

It was suggested on Instagram (it came up on several different pages) that some old book phrases from Jane Austen's writings should be reintroduced into our modern day lingo. Here are a few from the collection I found amusing; maybe you will too.

Expressions about someone you don't like:

"A man of no consequence."

"A woman of little understanding."

"A person not burdened by self-awareness."

"I see you've chosen to be yourself today."

Expressions of annoyance:

"What a vexing business this is."

"How excessively tiresome."

"I am not in the humour for such foolishness."

Expressions describing someone you like:

"A source of constant delight."

"A most agreeable companion."

"You are a welcome sight on any day."

Dramatic expressions:

"Good heavens!"

"Upon my word!"

"I'm entirely bewildered."

 

Six. A summer lunch 

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't

use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words

like, 'What about lunch?'"

A.A. MILNE

It was delicious!

❦

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Extra Photo:

Summer hat with cocktail

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

A Bit of Summer: Flowers and Books

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

DOROTHY FRANCES GURNEY

Gratefully we've had a few sunny days in June. And we've had more than plenty of rain. Our sunken patio has turned into a wading pond - it rains faster than it drains. And our lovely peonies which were just opening this past week, even though propped up by peony rings, are now hanging their colourful heads in sodden masses on the ground. But all is not lost - the blooms of our mock orange are opening and giving our hearts a fragrant lift. Thankfully they weren't shredded from the persistent rains.

Here are a few photos I took before the rainfall began in earnest.

After a browse of my book shelves, I found a few titles which either evoke the season of summer, or they include the word "garden", "flower", or the name of a flower.

NONFICTION

An Island Garden

by Celia Thaxter

(orig. published in 1894, part memoir, the author describes what's

going on in her garden on Appledore; a delightful read)

Foxgloves and Hedgehog Days,

Secrets in a Country Garden

by Daniel Blajen

(the author discovers that gardening is much more

than a chore or hobby)

Garden Blessings, Poems, Prose and Prayers

by Jane Cotner

(anthology of writings that offer a common

appreciation of gardens and gardening)

Garden Maker, Growing a Life of Beauty and Wonder with Flowers

by Christie Purifoy

(author enjoys a little bit of heaven

on earth in her garden)

Leaning Toward Light,

Poems for gardens and the hands that tend them

by Tess Taylor

(poems that make the reader want to lean toward the light)

Life in the Garden

by Penelope Lively

(memoir about art, literature, and gardening)

Secret Gardens of Cornwall, A Private Tour

by Tim Hubbard and Photographs by Jo and Rob Whitworth

(take an armchair tour through 20 Cornish gardens) 

The God of the Garden,

Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom

by Andrew Peterson

(author writes to wake up readers to the glory

of God shining through his creation)

The Paper Garden

by Molly Peacock

(biography of Mrs. Delany who begins her life's work at 72)

FICTION

A Few Green Leaves

by Barbara Pym

(fiction about English village life) 

Elizabeth and Her German Garden (fiction)

by Elizabeth Von Arnim

Flowers in the Rain

by Rosamunde Pilcher

(a collection of short stories that make nice summer reading)

Midsummer Mysteries,

Tales from the Queen of Mystery

by Agatha Christie

(short stories that include Poirot and Miss Marple)

Monk's-Hood

by Ellis Peters

(Brother Cadfael uses his knowledge of herbs from his

garden to solve a 'deadly recipe for murder')

Rose in Bloom

by Louisa May Alcott

(YA novel; "Everyone seems to think that Rose should

get married. Everyone but Rose.")  

The Gardener 

by Sarah Stewart and pictures by David Small

(children's picture book) 

The Last Garden in England 

by Julia Kelly

(in this novel, five women are connected

across time to a certain garden in England)

The Lost Garden

by Helen Humphreys

(novel set during WWII, a young horticulturist leaves

London for the Devon countryside to teach a group

of girls about growing crops for the home front)

The Name of the Rose

by Umberto Eco

(novel set in 1327 where Franciscans living in a wealthy

Italian abbey are suspected of heresy. Seven deaths turns

Brother William into a detective)

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

(children's novel - a forever favourite)

A question I saw recently on social media. "When you find yourself needing to unplug, what are your favourite activities to engage in?"

A: I read, write cards and notes by hand, go for a walk, pet the neighbour dogs when they stop by, lay down for a tiny rest, sit in a sunny nook with a book in hand, watch the birds, notice the clouds, sip something warm or cool (depending), browse a beautiful photo-filled magazine.....

What works for you?

❦

On that note, I'm wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Guest Blogging Elsewhere Today: Beauty and the Writer

Image by Andreas from Pixabay

 

I have a new post up on InScribe, my writers' fellowship blog. This month we are chatting about beauty and the writer. I'd love for you to stop by - here's the LINK.

Hope your summer is going well.

 ❦

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda