Coloured Thursday - PUMPKIN ORANGE!

As the nights grow decidedly cooler & with Halloween this weekend, I've been thoroughly enjoying the perfect seasonal comfort food aka soup from the New Covent Garden Food Company's cauldron - it's described as a 'wickedly tasty PUMPKIN soup blended with tomatoes & mixed beans' - called 'Witches Brew' there's no 'wing of bat or eye of toad' involved but I love the hint of garlic to warn off the unwelcome... Heading through the Covered Market to that cake shop, came across these ornimental PUMPKIN coloured gourds...Plus this wonderful Autumn floral arrangement featuring ORANGE lilies...And for my cake - this is as good as it gets re PUMPKIN ORANGE & it perfectly expresses my wishes for everyone...My original meme 'True Colours Thursday' is now hosted by friends, the fun pups Doyle & Mollie @ Blue's Coloured Thursday, with me as Colour Consultant :)
Please do join in again!

Ruby Tuesday - Rosehip Time!

Not as pretty as the rose blooms that came before them but these huge hips do add great autumnal colour...

Ruby & Two fer Tuesday - Hints of Autumn!

Almost a 'Wordless Wednesday' pair of photo's these...
The warm, often Ruby colours of Autumn I do enjoy.
Likewise, those warm Indian Summer days - know it's no longer politically correct to say that but I think that's madness!
Sadly, there is no sign of them anyway, just gloom & rain - so this Autumn's colours may be subdued.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Hot!

Once again, I was hot foot this morning to Cowmead Allotment's 4th Open Day for my fresh veggies.

Taking a stroll around this green haven, found my photo for tnchick prompt for today too.

Gardeners love bonfires!

And even I love their musky smell from a distance - it's the the scent of Autumn.

But, the heart of the blaze can be flame hot...

Monday's Monochrome - Tombs & Statues!

This subject for Aleni's Monochrome Weekly theme was destined for last Monday.
However, I didn't have to heart to post it due to Miss Snickers demise!
Taken @ the other weekend, this is St Mary Magdelan Church's graveyard - being in central Dreamingspires & nicely sheltered, Autumn comes late there, so despite the recent gales & rain, there's still or were, leaves on the trees, hence the dappled light...

Sky Watch Friday - Autumn Market!

Gloucester Green in central Dreamingspires, is home to a new development of modern designer apartments...I do like the 'look', as fancy flat living, but perhaps not the location so much!
It was though, thoughtfully tree'ed for Autumnal colour...Every Thursday it's central square, hosts an Antiques [& Craft] Market.
I regularly check it out....All these shots were taken yesterday morning, before the skies clouded over & we, locally battened down the hatches for a long weekend of torrential gales & rain - Yuk, yuk, yuk!

Sky Watch for the brave, is to be found HERE!

Sweet Autumnal Pleasures!

Coming home, even after only a few days away, usually means finding a pile of bills & junk mail as we all know!
The 'Royal Mail' postal strike, now thankfully resolved, did have it's plus side!!!
However, today I found a packet awaiting me!
It had been sent 'Recorded Delivery', so really needed to be signed for, but imagine my friendly Ozzie Post Lady, who knows I'm frequently 'out & about' cheated the system for me, so saving me a trip to the 'Reclaim Office' - bless her!

Delightfuly creative friend Helena, Mummy to fun bloggers Bob T Bear, Esq & Dilly's Castle, had hand crafted this wonderful Autumnal card especially for me...And, as she knows, like her, I hate the darker evenings, she included an'Emergency Chocolate' bar to make me smile!
The 100g of Swiss 33% Cocoa Milk Chocolate will bite the dust tonight.
THANK-YOU Helena!

Postscript
After Helena, sent me this thoughtful gift, her Mother suffered a mini Stroke.
Knowing first hand, the worry of 'caring' - please, go & give her your support.

'October' by Tissot!

Following on from this morning's 'Two Fer' post - this is to me, is one of the most captivating of Autumnal artworks...
The oil painting, fittingly entitled 'October', of a Victorian Belle dressed in her black finery, against the golden leaves of my all time favourite tree, the Horsechestnut, captured my heart many years ago.

I've never ever forgotten seeing 'her' in person & would love to own a 'quality' print!

In 1984, London's Barbican Art Gallery, had an exhibition of French born painter James Jacques Joseph Tissot [1836-1902] paintings.

Not @ all familiar with his works, I went along out of 'arty curiosity', after having seen 'October' show-cased, on the exhibition's pre-publicity posters.

Painted by Tissot in 1877, 'she' was on loan from the Montreal Museum of Arts, Canada.

Nothing in my eyes, in what was an interesting array of paintings, many set in London, glowed as bright as her.

Two fer Tuesday - Autumn Leaves!

This weeks inspiration for Jonna's pleasingly easy meme [you simply require two or pairs of photo's on your choice of topic] is the ever changing daily Autumnal colours - this year they are growing increasingly good!
And, two snippets of verse spotted in my Childrens Birthday Book's pages for October.
As I couldn't choose between them, I'm sharing both!

"Come, little leaves, said the Wind one day,
Come o'er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of yellow, red and gold;
Summer is gone, and the days grow cold."
Anon.

"Fall, leaves fall; die, flowers away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the Autumn tree."
Emily Bronte
[1818 - 1848]

Camera Critters Sunday & Color Carnival - Gnome Adoption!

Now, I'm unsure, if Gnomes really qualify as Critters!!!
However, suddenly a shop widow near me is full of them.
All recently adopted, they are showing their Autumnal colour's ... Their cheeky jolly faces made me smile & reminded me of Disney's 'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs'.

Camera Critter's host is Misty Dawn, the blog HERE
Martha is the creator of Color Carnival, that simply requires a colourful photo!

Wordless Wednesday - An Autumn Morning!

Mellow Yellow - A Golden Reflection!

On Monday's, I keep seeing 'Mellow Yellow' posts!

And, since I'm into 'Colours', thought I'd give it a go this week.

Autumn locally is still a very green & yellow mix.

But, this river reflection from the weekend, sums up what glories are to come...For the full story re the location, you will have to read to the end of tomorrow's Two Fer post!

Wordless Wednesday - Conker Time!

Two fer Tuesday - Last of the Flowers!

Last Tuesday was St Micheal's Day or Michaelmas, which in the Christian calendar signifies the beginning of Autumn!
However, that Autumnal feel has been around for a while now, despite the sunshine.
That wilderness I call a garden has just two splashes of colour left.
The Michaelmas Daisies have grown very leggy but bare masses of flowers...
And, some serious weeding gave the Autumn Crocus's room to bloom... Two fer is Jonna's bright idea.

True Colours Thursday - GOLD!

The lazy, hazy, golden days of Summers were few & far between in my neck of the woods!

And, while that Autumnal feel has come early, natures GOLDen glow is still not in full beauty, so think I jumped the gun listing this colour so soon...However, Dreamingspires has plenty of other GOLD to offer too.

Christ Church College's Library has an ornate plaster & GOLDleaf ceiling...

The Cathedral is blessed with an impressive GOLD High Alter...And the 'Open Day' saw the Embroiders of the Ladies Guild have their restoration work using GOLD thread out on display...The door frame of a side entrance to Brasenose Colleges is enhanced by Pan & his Pipes...While All Souls College boasts this very fine gate...

Exeter College's chapel has wonderful mosaic's around its alter...

And, St Michaels @ the North Gate Church's brass Eagle Lectern shines like GOLD...There was even a GOLDen lady gracing Cornmarket Street on Saturday...

Looking for this weeks cake, I noticed the Celebration Cake Shop was prompting it's new website; it's worth a peak as shows examples their wonderful cakes, but I'm faithfully, relying on my own photo's taken through the shops windows.

And, what's better than Confirmation Cake in the shape of the Bible with a GOLD Cross...

To join True Colours Thursday, all you need, is to post a photo/photographs & text, or better still both, on the specified colour of the week.

If you simply want to use the idea as a 'prompt' for a post, as I do now, with many memes, that's fine.

But, if, you'd like others including me, to visit you, please leave a comment below, so we know you are 'IN'!

For this meme only, I lift my 'Comment Moderation' to help players connect with each other.

Everyone, who to my knowledge has participated recently, is named in the TCT Roll Call in my side bar.

And, I will try to up-date throughout the day.

Next weeks colour for fun is BLUE & YELLOW together!

Two fer Tuesday - A Hint of Autumn!

It maybe only the first of September, however there's been a subtle hint of Autumn in the air for days now around Dreamingspires - a certain chill when not in the sun, cooler evenings & the leaves are already starting to change.
This was Christ Church College's Virgina Creeper last Saturday - it's turning red earlier than usual...And, there's fine orange shades along Mertain Lane...
Two Fer Tuesday is Jonna's concept, just requiring two or pairs of images.

True Colours Thursday - SKY BLUE!

Young fellow BLUE lover, Pansy requested this weeks colour, I was only too happy to oblige!

But, as several days of rain - grrr - have kept me housebound - hence no new topical photo's, these are fresh images from my Archives re BLUE the Seasons.

Winter - SKYE BLUE Ice captured on a neighbours car windscreen...

Spring - BLUEbells & my old BLUE trikes skeleton @ the bottom of my garden...

Summer - Rare SKYE BLUE Flowers to delight...

Autumn - a serious BLUE sky on my doorstep last Fall...

But, of course, I do have a cake, from the Celebration Cake Shop, taken specifically for today the other week!

A delightful Christening creation for BLUE baby boy Luke..

To join True Colours Thursday, all you need, is to post a photo/photographs & text, or better still both, on the specified colour of the week.
If you simply want to use the idea as a 'prompt' for a post, as I do now, with many memes, that's fine.
But, if, you'd like others including me, to visit you, please leave a comment below, so we know you are 'IN'!
For this meme only, I lift my 'Comment Moderation' to help players connect with each other.
Everyone, who to my knowledge has participated recently, is named in the TCT Roll Call in my side bar.
And, I will try to up-date throughout the day.
Next weeks TCT colour I originally listed as BLACK, but have moved it forward to Halloween week as more appropiate!

Instead now, think the other extreme - RAINBOW ie multi coloured!

Last shades of Autumn & Pressies posted!

Took this GLORIOUS, in my view, Autumnal photo, this VERY morning on my way to my local Post Office...The leaves are now finally, falling extremely fast here & turning into a slippery, treacherous mushy mess on the paths & pavements.
Hence accident prone me, is being careful; i.e. looking where she steps @ the mo; with eyes glued to the ground, I could have easily missed this wonderful late blaze of colour!

I was gingerly, making my way along today, laden with parcels.
Yes, the Procrastinator, [one who puts things off & off & off] has finally mailed her 'Pay It Forward' pressies!
Expect everyone, had thought I'd forgotten my promise???
My post 'An Act of Kindness' on the subject, only went out on the 24th October!!!
I was fairly prompt on my shopping, but packing & posting - err - No!
But, the deed is now done; so to the reciprocates - you know who you are; I hope Mr Postman comes knocking @ your door real soon.
I loved sending these tokens of friendship, I only hope they give you all some pleasure too.
However, in view of how long it's taken me to organise this, I better start writing my Christmas cards tonight!
I have signed up for the DWB Christmas Exchange & plan to send to all my friends, who I sent to last year.
Any of my newer blog friends who's addresses I DON'T have; if you'd like to share 'Seasonal Greetings', please let me know.
I delight in receiving Christmas cards, second only to Postcards!
Sad case me - guess, it's because my family is SO small; it's almost non-existent.
And, I do like the sound of welcome & wanted mail, plopping through my letter-box, it has a different ring to JUNK!

Oh, and on my way back home from said posting; I found another delightful touch of late colour to photo - this lovely single Rose, still bravely blooming...