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Saturday 4 November 2017

Time To Remember All We Have To Be Thankful For ....


So here we are at the beginning of another month, the penultimate month of the year.  When I was young, I used to love Anne of Green Gables, and there is a lovely quote in that book ....”It was November, the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-song in the pines”.  To me, it is also the month to remind us to be thankful for the many positive things happening in our lives.  We do not have Thanksgiving here in England, but I really wish we did.  I suppose the nearest thing we have over here is the Harvest Festival, which is, of course, a celebration of the food grown on the land. We have given thanks for successful harvests since Pagan times.  




In fact, although we do not celebrate Thanksgiving over here, it was the early English settlers who first brought the idea of harvest thanksgiving to North America., when the first celebration took place in 1621. 

The November flower is, apparently, the chrysanthemum, which would explain why the Americans love their displays of colourful ‘mums’ at this time of the year.  This past week here in heavenly Devon, the weather has been just perfect for Autumn walks.  I have been out almost every day, savouring the wonderful sights and colours which surround the countryside at the moment. The golden and red leaves still hanging on the trees, and the smell of woodsmoke and bonfires in the air.  We also seem to get wonderful sunsets at this time of the year.  Here are a few photos taken this week ....












Oh!  Did I tell you that I now have four cute little chickens in the garden ?!  They are free range and having great fun exploring and pecking all round the garden!  I never realised that they were such friendly little birds, as they really do seem to enjoy having company and following me around. 






So on that note, I will say cheerio again for now. Hope to see you again soon, and, as always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my ramblings. 

4 comments:

Suzanne said...

HI Thisisme! I have to tell you, this was a great post in my family! Scootie happened by when I got to Eli's picture, and noticed a similarity in their appearance! I told him that Eli lives in England and is just a few months older than he is. Well, then, Scootie's dad comes along and thinks from a distance that it was Scootie, so he stopped by for a closer look. The hair styles are the same and hair color almost identical! They enjoyed seeing his photo as he plays with the chickens. We have had two chicken visitors for a couple of weeks now in our back property, and the pretty large rooster (I think I posted his picture on Facebook) will allow us to pet him! I still don't know what to do with them, I don't know where they came from.

I suppose you're right about the November flower in the US! In my area the mums are never ending during this time of year! Sometimes they are even vibrant in September! I have some in a wheelbarrow, but they are starting to fizzle out, so I will make another trip to the market for replacements.

I love your photos from your walk about, the beach and sunsets are so lovely! And, your Autumn settings with colored leaves are really the ticket.

Thank you for sharing your great photos of the two sweet children, Thisisme! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Southhamsdarling said...

My dear Suzanne - thank you once again for coming over to leave your lovely comment. Oh my! How cute that Scottie and his dad could see the resemblance to Eli! Isn’t that special ?! Fancy you having a couple of chicken visitors as well! They do like to wander around, but fortunately, as soon as it gets dark, ours return to their little house all on their own, and we then go out to close the little door, so that they are nice and safe. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos today, Suzanne. Say Hi to Scootie from Eli and myself and have a good week. ❤️

Grammy Goodwill said...

I always enjoy seeing pictures of where you live, Diane. Please tell me again how close you are to the beach. (Walking distance or pile in the car distance?)I like your chickens. They must be very friendly to follow you around. I have a hard time adding the chickens to the beach picture. Hehehe.
Yesterday, I trimmed back all my mums and cleaned up the yard. Good thing because it has rained all day today and been in the 50s. Yesterday I was wearing shorts and it was 76.
I love this time of year with the changing colors and people focused on counting their blessings.

Southhamsdarling said...

Hi Grammy. Thank you for popping over. Those difference in temperatures where you live are crazy, aren’t they. Yes, I think we’re all getting our gardens cut back as much as possible, before the real Winter sets in. I have to get in the car to go to the beach, but the closest one is only about 15 minutes away, which is great. Autumn is a lovely time of the year, with all the colours, and it’s good to be thankful for all our blessings. Lovely to see you here today - as always.