Shadow Maple

A lovely October day with the sun coming out from behind the clouds to grace the day, even though the wind made it quite chilly! But when the sun shines, the colours of the foliage come to life and provide the chance for a perfectly shaped shadow.

Clothesline Art

The mention of a clothesline yesterday brought to mind my own clothesline. I was so happy that we finally put one up in our garden this spring. And as the summer wore on I became aware that my husband's method of sorting by colour when he does the laundry results in some very pleasing arrangements. Have a look...

Sumac Magic #3

I'm rather gone on all these photos of sumac leaves I've been posting. Just the tip of the iceberg for what's to come in the next weeks I suspect. How could I not post photos of gorgeous autumn leaves in the month of October? Look how obediently they line up along their branch. Like clothes on a clothesline. Or are they little gold fish caught and hung? And is it my imagination, or does the sky always look bluer this month than at any other time?

Sumac Magic #2

Resembling sharp points of flame, sumac leaves astonish with their variety of colours. And they are the most willing of photographic subjects, with their leaves growing at eye-level.

Sumac Magic

The sumac leaves are changing. I have to admit that I don't notice them much during the summer, but once fall arrives they are impossible to ignore. Their colours absolutely blaze!

Cioccolato

In my post of September 21, 2009 I wrote about the giant bar of chocolate my sister sent from Italy. On holiday for two weeks, her first Tuscan mission was to find Amedei's chocolate factory in Pontedera, Pisa.

In her own words, "It wasn’t very far away, although it was hard to find. We did find it however and of course, like many places in Italy, it was closed. Everything shuts down for lunch from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Anyway, we arrived at the factory and I peeked over the fence and pressed the buzzer. No answer. I don’t think they are really open to the public.

Not long after, a delivery truck came and they opened the gate. So in I went, determined to get chocolate for my big sister. A man came out and I explained that I was from Canada and was looking for chocolate for my sister. She says it is the best chocolate in the world. He didn’t speak English, but told me in Italian that they didn’t sell chocolate. I asked where I could buy it and he went in to get a business card."

After such a declaration what else could he possibly do? Not to be defeated, my sister asked if she could come in to take a couple of photos. And guess what? She could!

Several snaps later, with free samples to boot, my sister and her husband left to find La Bottega del Caffé ... and my chocolate. And what a charming shop it is. Just look at the shop's exterior. The chocolate purchased, the next stop was the post office to mail it to me. And it was on its way.

Note: Photos were taken by my sister.

In the Pink

It's been raining on an off for several days now. And the temperature has taken a decided nose dive. Not something to rejoice in. But without the rain I wouldn't have seen the droplets of water on these beautiful pink hydrangeas. Aren't they lovely?