golden

This weekend the garden is still. Leaves are fading to palest yellow, bees are buzzing in patches of intense, low golden light. Everything is soft, rich, slow, gentle, quiet.

We are tilting towards autumn but not yet there. Late summer bees and hoverflies, the heady smell of still-flowering phlox, bright patches of colour as faded petals are caught in shafts of sunlight. The robin chinks his alarm call and a charm of goldfinches twitter overhead.

The wind is in the south-east, soft and light but strong enough to direct the large transatlantic jets over us as they climb out of Manchester Airport - sometimes, in the harsh bright overhead light of summer, their shadows pass across the garden, but this weekend they slant away to the south through a faint haze.

Another warm, still, golden day on Sunday, driving across the sunlit Pennines to the beautiful Yorkshire Sculpture Park to meet Helen of Cocoa and Blankets and her lovely family. We walked and walked and talked and talked. The men hit it off straightaway and forged ahead with the map, while we girls took a more leisurely pace better suited to civilised conversation.*

I am loving this last final stillness, a golden flourish before autumn blows in. The nights are getting chilly now, and soon it will be time for that bluey green driftwood fire I dream of...

Lastly, I couldn't resist showing you this photo of my beautiful granddaughter asleep on my shoulder this evening. Golden moments indeed.

*You can see more photos on Helen's much more interesting post which features naked wrestling...

11 comments:

Pomona said...

Lovely photos - and lovely baby! Aren't you lucky to have that dear little person to cuddle!

Pomona x

hens teeth said...

I enjoyed Helen's post so much and now yours too. Beautiful post Sue.
Oh, your Grandaughter curled on your shoulder so!

A time to dance said...

I am laughing and laughing at your final comment...in fact I am having trouble typing...I knew we should have got pete and Rory to re-enact the scene under my direction...your post was worth the wait...far more articulate and eloquent....apart from the tantalising smut at the end...was that my influence....I used to love it when Poly snuggled into my neck...now I only have the cat...

Gilly said...

What a lovely day! Love the photo of the shadows and legs!

And my little great granddaughter - she is so gorgeous!

PS - its autumn here!!

Pipany said...

Yep, it's the last photo that really does it for me! Just beautiful x

Art4Sol said...

Been enjoying my visit to your lovely place... and will return!

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

Gorgeous day and wonderful baby photo! My daughter is expecting her first baby in December so I shall not be far behind you.

Doda said...

Lovely photos and lovely baby ! Awww!

Jackie said...

I enjoyed both posts and am envious.
I think you weremade to be (among many other things,) a Grandmother to a little girl.
She will enjoy you so much as she grows.

Sue said...

Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. Being a Grandma is definitely a huge privilege :-)

Jo said...

What a fantastic photo of you and your beautiful granddaughter.