OCTOBER
I'm not sure where September went but it's gone.
October was originally the eighth month of the Roman calendar. The Anglo Saxons called it Wynmonath - the wine making month or Winterfylleth meaning the the month with the full moon (7th) heralding winter. This year the October full moon will be a super moon and is also the latest date possible for a Harvest moon.
I've probably mentioned all the bits of weather folklore for October in previous years but here are three good ones.
Dry your barley in October,
Or you'll always be sober.
(Malted barley is the main ingredient of beer, which was drunk by everyone when water wasn't safe)
A good October and a good blast,
To blow the hog acorn and mast.
(Dating from the time when villagers were allowed to turn their pigs into the woods to feed on acorns and Beech mast - called pannage
In October manure your field
And your land it's wealth shall yield
(Best time for muck spreading, before the fields get too wet, ready to sow crops in the spring)
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| A page from the Brambly Hedge Autumn Story by Jill Barklem |
A poem from the book " A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson
AUTUMN FIRES
In the other gardens
And all up the vale
From the Autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes
The grey smoke towers
Sing a song of seasons
Something bright in all
Flowers in the summer
Fires in the fall.
I like the line "Sing a song of seasons" and as I get older it seems to be easier to appreciate each season as it arrives - after all if I'm still around to see a new season then that has to be a good thing!
And Thank you to everyone for comments yesterday about the unusual crop growing in the fields around here. The conclusion was reached that it's definitely Quinoa ........probably!
Back Soon
This is a good Mast Year
ReplyDeleteOctober is definitely here now and the days are shortening. The trees across the way are shedding leaves galore and having a big party in our front garden and driveway. Raining here today so no garden tidying. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI still adore the Brambly Hedge illustrations and have the books I bought for the girls, on hand for Rosie . . .
ReplyDeleteIt's Pannage Season in the New Forest and gosh those are going to be BIG porkers when they are brought back in as it's SUCH a Mast Year for the acorns. Walking along the lane yesterday, acorns fell on my head and were piled deep at the roadside and hedge bottoms. I don't remember ever seeing quite so many.
Brightest and best are sunny days in October!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the October poem at the top and love the Brambly Hedge picture. I found a lovely Brambly Hedge plate in a charity shop last week but was shocked at the price of £10 so didn't buy it. It would have looked lovely in a seasonal display on my bookcase :(
ReplyDeleteAmy will be paying a visit this weekend. Batton those hatches!
ReplyDeleteI used to love Brambly Hedge, and the Animals of Farthing Wood.
Our children were raised on Brambly Hedge…and I know I had the Childs Garden of Verses as a young girl, not sure what happened to it. X
ReplyDeleteJill Barklem's illustrations are treasures of detail and colour.
ReplyDeleteLovely Brambly Hedge illustration, although - probably down to climate change - the blackberries are all over , so early this year.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I like October and enjoy the leaves changing and the cooler temps. I've noticed the change in light now that the sun is setting earlier and earlier. We are zooming to the end of the year it seems.
ReplyDeleteLovely poetry reflecting the changing seasons.
ReplyDeleteToday the air is cool with occasional gusts passing through. Brown leaves are falling and rolling in the winds. Bright blue sky with sunshine makes a great Fall Day.
Thank you everyone for all the comments - I hope we have a sunny October
ReplyDeleteI love brambly hedge! Thanks for including that illustration.
ReplyDeleteWe were at the RHS garden at Harlow Carr yesterday and the acorns were raining down in the woodland, they were ' showering' down on our heads, we've never experienced anything like it!
ReplyDeletePenny
I especially enjoyed the old folklore. It’s fascinating how practical wisdom about crops, pigs, and fields became little rhymes to pass down through generations. And the Stevenson's poem is just perfect for this time of year; “Sing a song of seasons” really captures the joy in noticing the changes around us. I also like how you connect the seasons with gratitude for being able to witness them, there’s a quiet, comforting perspective in that. The quinoa mystery adds a fun, modern twist to the traditional autumn scene.
ReplyDeleteLook how busy those mice are getting the harvest in and ready for winter. I love the photos from books that you post.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I'm not sure where September went either! It's still quite (unseasonably) hot here and doesn't feel like Autumn at all, except for the shorter days.
ReplyDeleteI really like that first poem. I can almost see it in my head!
I always loved ‘ A Child’s Garden of Verses’!
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny that we should use the same October poem. I discovered it years ago when I was looking for poetry to use with my students. I think it’s rather lovely. Enjoy the weekend! Sal