Changing Seasons

EARLY MORNING ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH

So the Seasons move on and we're almost into early

Winter. And yet hard to believe that next week they're

switching on the London Carnaby Street Christmas lights.

Below are a couple of seasonal gifs, now that we're

into Halloween week. The second gif is from Stephen

King's horror drama 'Salem's Lot.'

 

Below: Some familiar gifs from a beautiful

tumblr called AUTUMN COZY

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On a recent rummage in a local Charity shop, I found half a dozen vintage plates

that were all part of the Beryl Woods Ware classic English crockery set. I didn't

think that they actually still existed. So I quickly went on to e-bay and low and

behold, they were still very much available and so I sent off for more, giving myself

quite a little collection now.

Obviously there's a nostalgic connection here because growing up in our home

this was the crockery set we used. And they were still in circulation up to the 1970's.

Originally first brought out in the 1940's and often seen in Schools, Church Halls as

well as many homes, they can still be seen today in many classic 1970 tv sitcom

repeats, as can be seen below on the set of 'On The Buses.'

As it stands I now own several dinner plates, some side plates, several tea cups,

a few cereal/soup bowls, a couple of egg cups and a sugar bowl and not forgetting

some saucers.

Of course back then as kids the only downside was when your turn came up to wash

or dry the dishes while having to miss out on your favourite tv show.

More fascinating information can be seen at..

THE VINTAGE KITCHEN STORE

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I was pleased to pick up this laminated and now framed map of the London

Underground. It allows me to familiarize myself calmly without having to

view the one in the local noisy Station while people are rushing about.

It seems like a must have in the home when you only use public transport.

I was hoping to visit more out of London places the Summer just gone. But I found 

myself juggling with regular Hospital visits along with bad weather or just too hot

weather. So I'm holding over a visit to a very exciting and historical City for next Summer.

But clearly a highlight last Summer was that nostalgic visit to Elstead in Surrey.

My little garden plot at the side of our house put on a good colourful show this Summer.

In fact there wasn't very much to do except the daily watering during the warmer periods.

Much of the bedding and flowers were planted the Summer before and simply came back

this year.

The only plant I had a problem with was the Hydrangea which seemed to spout more

leaves than actual flowers. I think this was due to my cutting it back last Spring, which

I wont repeat next Spring.

That big blue plant trough I made back in 2021 is still holding up. I literally put it all together

using lengths of timber from an old wooden pallet.

Laying the Seeds for Next Summer

Our early October weather has been unseasonably generous this past couple of weeks.

And on one or two given days you might have even been mislead into thinking that

Summer was on it's way back around again. Days I often call false Spring days. But no,

Autumn is definitely here, looking at the burgeoning and rapidly spreading red

Virginia Creeper Vine all over our neighbour's back gardens.

So these are just a few pictures of our new side of house garden plot. Something that

has been an ongoing Summer project. And yet for early October it is looking unseasonably

colorful after adding in some Pink Cyclamen as well as some late Summer Chrysanthemums.

Although our hanging basket of Mint Herbs isn't being fooled by the season change and

has started to thin out a bit.

And probably the last job to do out there is to plant our Daffodil bulbs for some Spring

colour come next March or April when I hope to return to the Mill Hill Garden Centre with

some fresh ideas and some new plans for next Summer.  

Above is the center piece plant container that I built. And I dread to think how much

all this timber would have cost if I had bought it from the big Homebase Store in Finchley Road.

But thankfully I managed to retrieve it all for free from a large discarded

wooden pallet. 

Above and below as predicted, the rampant spreading of the Virginia Creeper Vine

has turned into an Autumn red.