Monday 1 November 2010

November.







It is here again. It comes round with absolute regularity (give or take one day every four years) - the First of November. I am reminded of the Thomas Hood poem:-

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease;
no comfortable feel in any member.
No shade, no shine,no butterflies, no bees;
No fruit, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
NOVEMBER.

What a dismal poem it is, to be sure - and how untrue for today at any rate, because it is a lovely day. I did a quick walk round my garden with the camera and there is still plenty out to give pleasure. The sun is shining, it is warm, the bird table has as many goldfinches, chaffinches, tree sparrows and members of the tit family as it ever has. I didn;t see a butterfly or a bee but I am sure they were still around if I had bothered to look for them. Each night, when the farmer takes Tess out for her last little walk, they are still seeing a couple of fat hedgehogs who have yet to hibernate.

So - be of good cheer - there are still some warm, pleasant days to come. Alright, there will also be some foggy, dismal days too - but as I said the other day = maybe we need the one to enjoy the other. Here's to a Happy November.

16 comments:

Reader Wil said...

Our day started with a fog and I like it as long as I don't
have to go out. Well that's what we can expect for November. The trees are beautiful with the red and yellow leaves. Have a great week, Pat.

angryparsnip said...

Thomas Hood diffidently did not live in Tucson.
November is one of out best months. Cool morning, evenings and warm days in the 80's all week.
Lots of birds and animals enjoying the time away from our hot summer.

Your garden looks wonderful.

cheers, parsnip

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Like angryparsnip I also live in Arizona where out weather is just starting to be glorious. Poor Thomas, he should have come here.

Gerry Snape said...

I love your new profile ...and could I say that February has only 28 [or29 on a bad year] and it's God's goodness because He knows that I can't take any more of it.!!!! I think that the trees are wonderful this year again. Great pics Weaver. Thankyou.

Grizz………… said...

I must confess that every time I read Hood's poem, I want to give him a swift kick in the behind and drag him off to the woods and rural countryside for the whole of November—there to make him see how inaccurate and slanderous his witty words were. Alas, I'm more than a century and a half too late for enjoying such hands-on enlightenment. But November is still a lovely month.

Heather said...

Your photos are a joy Pat - I would love to walk along the towpath of that canal. The birds here are still singing and although our weather has been rather unsettled lately, we still get spells of sunshine and clear skies. The leaves are really beginning to colour up now and the berries on the hawthorn outside our house are the most glorious crimson. Poor Thomas Hood - perhaps he suffered from SAD before it had been recognised.

Shirley said...

It's very true. We find greater joy in the good and wonderful things if we must endure the less than wonderful. Great uplifting post!

Pondside said...

We went to bed last night to the sound of driving rain and woke this morning to more of the same. November is our really miserable month, but I know that we'll have the odd bit of sun here and there - I'll be patient (and optimistic!)

Cloudia said...

and then sparkling snowy days of wonder!


Aloha from Honolulu

Comfort Spiral

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Raph G. Neckmann said...

So sorry I missed your birthday, Weaver and belated birthday greetings! Your outing sounds lovely!

November here is a nice month - we begin our big sprout harvest, and then have our November dream digging to look forward to. And there's an intense glowing quality to the light, with shafts of sunlight between grey clouds illuminating the rolling hills and almost-bare trees.

Jenn Jilks said...

We've had a lovely day, too. Cold, but the sun eased its way from between the clouds. Cheers from Cottage COuntry !

Titus said...

Solid rain for 2 days now. I'm with Mr Hood at the moment!

The Weaver of Grass said...

I do tend to agree with Grizz over Thomas Hood - Heather is more gentle with him and suggests he might have been suffering from SAD.
However, today is much more Novemberish - so perhaps the year he wrote the poem, November was particularly miserable.

Thank you for the comments.

The Weaver of Grass said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BT said...

What a cheerful post Pat (apart from that miserable November poem). I love the fact that we have seasons and wet days followed by glorious sunny ones, even in November. Every month has its glories to me.

Golden West said...

Your garden holds much color yet, Weaver, and may surprise you still. How wonderful to have hedgehogs!

We're in the midst of a heat wave - 80s along the coast. My bulbs are confused...