Ahh Autumn!

I hope you enjoy this poem, it so perfectly captures the feeling essence of Autumn for me.

To Autumn
John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

We went recently on an autumn hike to be inspired for playful free scape building in wool and to try and experience the feel of the new season. Treasures, not unlike the acorn pig nose, were found in the forestry route by the disappearing children along the winding pathways. A perfect walking staff for later carving in the winter was mine to have and hold, as was the breathtaking beauty of the playful wind painting with leaves that day! Though somewhat rocky in places, the children ranging from 2 -11 picked their way to the goal and were rewarded with a cool paddle in a small stream and some dried fruit.

treasure #1

treasure #2 and Little Gandalf monkeying around

hunters of forest treasure gather to plan their next steps..

On a completely different note, I have started writing a book that will hopefully be shared with the wide world upon it's completion...it's largely woolly in essence but will have some great creative and artistic goodies to share with felting fanatics!

in the works, quite large collaborative free-scape