Saturday 29 October 2011

A stalker in your midst

At this time of year, more than ever I turn into a bit of a stalker. I am not ashamed of it, I'm quite open about it. People notice, but to be honest I don't really care. Ever lived in a place where Autumn actually sort of kind of almost sneaks passed without a blaze of glory? Well I do, and let me tell you this each year I tell myself I will catch Orkney in autumn colour and each year I fail and don't manage to get much action in the old senescing 'leaves blaze of glorious colour type of action'. For this, I normally give up and go to the mainland and get my autumn colour entitlement. However, I never give up looking for autumn colour and Carolyn had a lovely challenge, therefore I joined in and went on an autumn walk.

In Orkney you have to get your autumn fix by cunning and lateral thinking, like the picture up there - Gunnera manicata (up there in the first photo) - not normally a plant you'd think about in glorious autumn colour, but man, look at those seeds, bright orange and to die for. Ha! Autumn colour I tell you.

Or have a real look for the lovely Rosa rugosa, an Orkney stalwart and one of the few things which actually does colour up here nicely. Thank you my dear little chap.
And the other evergreens like Escallonia macrantha, another of the 'dirty dozen' in Orkney, shrubs with attitude which tolerate our climate, the odd leaf of this beauty at this time of year changing through green to yellow. Thank you dear little friend for giving me a bit of autumn colour.
There you are, a few of the shurbs do the whole, look at me, aren't I gorgeous its autumn thing. Therefore you may well ask, whats the problem about autumn colour in Orkney. The photograph of a tree I regularily stalk in Orkney is the problem for most trees in Orkney in autumn. The vestiges of the leaves are still upon the tree, right there at the top. I can tell you with my own eyes, these are not the lovely reds and yellows of acers you'd see everywhere else - these are clinging on for dear life, most of them gone, those which remain are a gorgeous shade of brown and crispy. The gales arrive in september, the leaves quite rightly curl up and die, robbed of their autumn glory opportunity. I seriously hate the autumn winds here, they are very cruel.

Notice the appearance of the tree. I think this tree sums up Orkney weather quite concisely and gives an idea of the prevailing wind direction at this location.
The wind in Orkney steals the leaves from the trees long before any type of autumn colour can be upon us. Give the trees their due, they grow and attempt to protect the buildings around them - it looks like the tree in that photo is trying to shroud the cottage from the worst of the wind doesn't it? Or is that just my own wierd interpretation of it? This is the reason we go and find autumn colour where we can, stalking plants and trees to get 'something' ablaze in colour. I don't see much, but I do get a 10/10 for effort. The view the tree has is here - gorgeous, looking over scapa flow, but so very exposedto the sea winds, no wonder it protects the cottage. What a noble tree, I'll let it off for the lack of autumn colour.
Closer to home in my own garden, there isn't much 'ablaze', the glorious last swan song of the elder (sambcus niger), this time we have gorgeous velvet black leaves clinging on for dear life, burnt but not forgotten. More of a last sigh or quiet scream than a 'blaze' don't you think?
From the look of most of the trees here, we're just about into winter. Thankfully for me, I'm on the mainland next weekend and I WILL be getting an autumn fix then. There will be lots of photos from the trip up the A9 (we're flying down, driving home, to be able to see the autumn colour). 

With the fact that autumn breifly walked through Orkney and winter is nearly here the dog's found his new spot in the downstairs sunny garden room in my lovely and much covetted traditional Orkney chair. We've obviously brought in the highland cow from the field and he's drying out nicely. Not really the weather out there for a highland cow anymore. The dog doesn't mind the cow perched on his Orkney chair, prized possesion of the house, he's claimed it for his own. That dog got good taste, I love that chair.

 He sits right beside me and my writing spot in this room. Not really interested in me yibbering on about stalking trees a lack of autumn colour and alikes. He's far more interested when I write about home cooking!

(If like me, you want to enjoy alot more of autumn colour and contemplation go over to Carolyn at http://www.thisgrandmothersgarden.com/2011/10/autumn-walk-challenge.html and look at the lovely folk walking on there, with more success than me! Thank you to this lovely blog for the autumn walk challenge I did enjoy trying to find some gorgeous autumn colour out there, albeit not as much as other folk managed!)






15 comments:

  1. Glad you found some autumnal colour! Fabulous tree shapes (yes it does look like it's protecting the cottage) and lovely sky over the water xx

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  2. Glad you're going sooth for an autumn fix. Orkney at this time of year looks much as I remember it apart from the gunnera.
    And by the way the wee dug would not be sitting on that Orkney chair if it was in my house. That would be for me with my feet up by a nice warm fire!

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  3. Peedie dog looks very comfortable there. Love the photo's.

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  4. *waves at Bob*

    Lovely colour there if you know where to look for it then....I like the fact that Peedie is demonstrating a little autumn colour of his own in the eyebrow department too.....!

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  5. I love your highland cow! And you can almost see the wind in that ocean picture! Beautiful!

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  6. It is tough, missing out on Autumnal beauty.

    You will love your trip so much when you go.

    Sft x

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  7. True Robyn, I was admiring his eyebrows too!

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  8. What your pics may miss in blazin' colour, your narrative whole heartedly compensates for. Love this post! Thanks so much for joining in the fun!

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  9. Love the bent tree - there were loads of those around where we lived on Anglesey, for the same reason - and banks of Rosa rugosa, tough as old boots but pretty with it. Enjoy your trip to the mainland and your drive back through Autumn!

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  10. your last picture is class. great photo of your dog and highland cow.

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  11. Loving the photo of the tree. Hope you get to see some beautiful Autumn colour on your trip. looking forward to seeing your photos.

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  12. Your cow is great and also quite an autumn colour himself. The leaning tree is pretty impressive - it makes up for the lack of leaves by being beautiful in a more unconventional way.

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  13. I love that windswept tree...it has an elegant and weathered look about it. Happy autumn!

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  14. Maybe not the usual Autumn colours,however you do a good job at stalking. The Gunnera is amazing and the cottage hugging tree does a great job as well as being photogenic.

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  15. LOL and I thought we had wind here...

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