Noises from the attic

Raining outside tonight, the cats sleeping tight, and suddenly I hear noise from the attic just above me in the sitting room.
Myles looked up startled out of sleep staring at the beamed ceiling.
We listened as we heard little scratchy sounds. There has not been life in the attic since the cats moved in! It must be this spell of chilly wet weather that is bringing life indoors to hibernate.
Let's see how this evolves.

Still contemplating the garden plans. Perhaps it is better to clear it up more first in order to get to see more of the actual structure, the skeleton of it.

This is a good time of year, despite the wet waterlogged ground, for clearing up. The leaves being down show the trees and views better, and the shrubs become more accessible as the tall surrounding growth dies down. Thank goodness I have Ben to help me!

It is also a productive time for me in terms of my work. Next years covers are practically all done and I am writing, translating and reading a lot. Researching a new film project as well! This is how I like to work, several irons in the fire as the expression goes.
Some films are moving at a slower pace, others close to completion and already this year I finished three! It can feel strange having several projects ongoing simultaneously...a split mind...but I rather that than one at the time. It can be so constipating.

Started the plan

Well I found a piece of paper that looked like the garden in shape. Perfect.
Then I drew the fixtures in, e.g. the Byre entrance/exit, the borders, the existing large trees, the directions,...and then I stopped to think. That is where I am still...thinking, dreaming, planning...

This morning we awoke to severe ground frost. It had been a clear moonlit night and Fergus loves those kind. He was out for hours, even missed breakfast! Highly unusual for him.

Heard from my sister that there is snow in Sweden and heard from Francis snow in Berlin and from Karol snow in Poland.

The writing is going really well on Vital Signs. It is bringing up some good issues for me to think through and deal with. This type of writing works for this subject, subjective, in the first person narrative with an analytical descriptive element. I like it , it works for me.

Somehow autumn, and the re-evaluating, reflecting and rememberingt hat takes place is ideal. This is the time for this piece of work. Thank you.

Autumn clearing

Spent some time in the garden clearing up after the big Samhain bonfire. It left a large area cleared and well prepared for next spring. The view over the fells is stupendous from the garden and the Byre, aka as the new room. It will be so good when there is a terrace there in front of the window/door, the view faces west and the sunset.
There is a lot of clearing up to do. Cutting branches that have been damaged by the storms of late, cutting back overgrowth/undergrowth that has run wild.
Decisions regarding where to plant some trees I have waiting to go in. Those have to be made carefully, esp since I am really planting for the future, for many years forward. 40, 50 and more...
The Ash is growing beautifully reaching into the sky next to the three fruit trees in the orchard. Birches, ash, beech, those are the trees in this garden. I am going to plant a ginkgo and a sweet chestnut.
I also need to decide where to put in more soft fruit bushes. These are very challenging decisions and it takes me ages...
Marigolds are still blooming and keep producing more buds- extraordinary flowers. No wonder they were my Mormors favourite.
I think if I draw a plan of the garden it might be easier to decide locations.

Melancholia and nostalgia

Every autumn it is similar in that I become covered in feelings of melancholia and nostalgia like a duvet to shut out the cold.
Duvet day is a good expression. I also have robe days.
It is already getting dark and it is only 3pm, the sun set colours are warm and I look forward to the imminent moonrise.
It is mild for the season but also very rainy. This time last year we had had serious frost by now and snow in October.
Melancholia is not as transparent as nostalgia for me. I think of kicking leaves in different locales where my life took place.
Warsaw, Stockholm, Cambridge, Basel,...a stage set in a sense for the drama of this particular life to play out. A comedy or a tragedy or...

Melancholia is expressed in the desire to hibernate to check out from the dark time. Energy levels are lower. Slowing down, and more indoor activities take over. Writing and reading and thinking.

I also imagine an orangery where I can put all my plants and place a tub for lounging/soaking in under the sun. In my dream it will be added to the back of the cottage and very private. I will have my lemon trees, oleander, geraniums, succulents, jasmine in there and it will be like a piece of heaven during the cold, dark winter months.

Full Moon and mammogram

Days and nights of rain, flood warnings in Wales, and the South West. The moon rising during the sunset-magical.

Mammogram made me think of colours. I was in a trailer in a parking lot outside Waitrose in Hexham. An NHS wandering clinic...6 mins per woman a true conveyor belt. In and then out. Done.

I thought about colours. Colours for the bathroom and kitchen to cheer me up during these dark times. 6 months of darkness as I say. Two seasons here: winter and not winter.

Some ideas above that inspire me in these photos. In each pic is an element I would draw from. I like the terracotta pots for lamps! The colourful aestethic mess. The welcoming and calming aspect of the colours chosen. My kitchen is very small, a true cottage kitchen. it has a sloping ceiling, a boiler takes up space, an icebox, a small powerful stove/cooker, not enough shelving or storage or prep area...A pantry would be nice. Nesting dreams on a dark autumn night after a day of some stress.

Beautiful photos

Pagan rituals thanks to Willow Gray.