Thursday Thoughts – Traveling again…

The first flight since covid, almost three years ago. We had a lovely week, and… I will be sorting the photos for some days. Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Thursday Thoughts – Autumn

By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.

― Helen Hunt Jackson

In my garden, autumn colours are arriving – summer’s beautiful farewell.

Red and yellow…

…and the soft colours of ripening grapes.

Thursday Thoughts – The Last Butterflies

The butterflies are leaving – rain and less than 15 degrees C. I only see a few every day now, and they are all battered, tired and slow. Sitting in the last rays of warming sun, preferably on a wall facing south. My Buddleijas are blooming a second time, but almost only bumblebees and bees are guests. It is always sad to see the butterflies go, but there will be a new Spring for them I hope.

Thursday Thoughts – The Last of Summer

The Buddlejas are having a second bloom, and the butterflies are still here. But the air is chilly and the nights near frost. I love my Heleniums that gather hundreds of pollinators. It’s a joy standing close to them, just listening to the busy bees.

The little white aster was new last year, it shines in the darkening evenings now. And so do the tuberous begonias standing in the shadow of the vines. They glow in the late sun.

There is still colour left, and we hope for some more bright days before winter is here. I hope you too have enough colours left to savour Autumn.

Thursday Thoughts – on a Friday

As the possibility to comfortably comment just returned yesterday, my graphic card decided to give me another headache. So what do I do? I got my computer back this evening, and decided to still have some Thursday Thoughts…

At home, Mr and Mrs Blackbird are evening visitors, searching for tasty worms, and doves and finches, magpies and tits pay the little fountain a visit for a short bath. A day at our summer house,

we enjoyed a walk by the sea before returning for a late meal. This was one of the last warm evenings. Summer will be sorely missed but gratefully remembered.

Thursday Thoughts – New in My Garden

Every year there are some newcomers in my garden. I posted a bee in this one the other day, but thought I would do it some more justice and show the beauty of this salvia plant. Fast growing and loved by the pollinators. Among the Autumn yellows, it is radiant.

Tricyrtis, or toadlily, arrived this summer as well. In Sweden we have ”open gardens” to visit every summer, and sometimes they sell plants there as well. I wanted this beauty ever since I saw it the first time in an old friend’s garden. And last week the first flower unfolded. An intricate lady.

Mrs Wilmott’s Ghost is another newcomer – much longed for – but unfortunately it did not get any flowers this year. But this is what I hope to see next summer!

I mentioned before the red admirals (Vanessa) and how frequent they are this year – and difficult to photograph, but in the header I managed not to frighten them when they were feasting on the plums…

A more close-up view I got from one of them resting on the glasshouse. This year they have kept their colours well too – no hail or much rain. Indeed one of my favourite butterflies. Sorry to say, the buddleias will soon be over, but we have had a marvelous insect year and the butterflies are no exception. So grateful!

Thursday Thoughts – Summer is Still Here

I sit in my garden every day, watching the butterflies feasting on Buddlejas and what is left of my plum cooking. The Red Admirals seem to love plums just as much as the ordinary flower table. Golden days now, when summer is drawing to its close.

The beautiful Scarce Copper though, is not to be seen anymore. I guess its season is earlier. I tried to catch some of the Admirals with my camera, but unfortunately – I will try again tomorrow.

Thursday Thoughts – At the Pond

We met up for a trip to a pond wellknown for its dragonflies. Rain in the air and rather chilly – so, our expert told us we would not see any dragonflies that morning… Ten degrees warmer and sun is the recipe.

We had all brought breakfast though, so we might as well hike up there and at least eat. Said and done.

After an hour the sun warmed up behind the clouds, so we were a bit lucky in the end. Not many dragonflies were patroling the water, but if you walked through the grasses on the shore, you were greatly rewarded.

Here are some of the critters that we found. We saw 6-7 different species of dragonflies/damselflies and some other beauties. The caterpillar will later evolve into a small tortoiseshell. Some sea birds were talking loudly, and the swallows came sweeping down as the mosquitos woke up. An enjoyable morning!

Click the gallery for more detail.

Amazingly small, but in a shining blue or red armour, striped or checked – we saw them dancing. I learned that many dragonflies live for a month or so, and some species live for almost a whole year – they even fly throughout the winter months here. If you want to hold one, it is the wings you should grab. They are not soft and velvety (as with butterflies), but stiff and hard. If you then set the dragonfly free, it will sit where you put it, silent for some seconds – and you have an excellent photo option!

Thursday Thoughts – A Piece of Old Time Magic

Sporrakulla is the name of an old farmstead from the 16th century. I went here for the first time almost 50 years ago, and haven’t visited again since my children were small. Last week we decided to drive up to the beautiful farm once more.

When you leave the car, you walk into a harmonious landscape, where time seem to have stopped…and the silence is almost tangible.

The meadows are harvested as in the old days, with a scythe. This is for the benefit of the flora.

The last farmer left in the 1960’s, and now the houses are kept by the local forest authorities. Many tourists visit during summer, and sometimes there are minor events in the garden. Mostly hikers picnicking though. The area is thick with hiking tracks.

The flora around the farm is abundant, and so is the fauna. I could have walked around for hours…

…or just sit and watch the quiet pace of life.

Thank you for returning here with me. Hope you enjoyed the old buildings and the atmosphere. For me – nostalgia, the best kind!

Thursday Thoughts – Sitting

A bench by the sea