early morning

Enormous morning, ponderous, meticulous;
gray light streaking each bare branch,
each single twig, along one side,
making another tree, of glassy veins...
The bird still sits there. Now he seems to yawn.

excerpt from ELIZABETH BISHOP, "Five Flights Up" 

my mornings lately have been early. too early, perhaps. but i am learning how to appreciate what often seems like an ungodly hour; the quiet, the still, the haunting, the earthly. i am trading in my night owl for the early bird.

transitions

while i savour the sultry heat, sun-filled days and long nights of summer, autumn is my favourite season. it is a season of transitions, preparations, harvests, layers, and pigments; of life, death, and decay. having lived in the city for nine years before moving to the country full-time this past June, i always found that autumn would come and go so quickly, almost without notice, at least not of all its nuances. trees are not in their natural habitat in the city and almost all urban trees are diseased, so i never got to experience the full splendour of fall's colours and subtle changes. this year, however, i was able to intimately track those changes over the course of five or six weeks every time i took glasgow for a walk in a nearby forested area we call "the cross," from first fall to first frost, from the only barely emerging yellows and oranges to the fiery and crimson reds at their peak, and finally to the fading of those colours into rusts, ochres, and browns. i watched the dark earth and lush greens of the forest floor first become peppered with sparsely fallen leaves, and then fully blanketed by a thick layer of still fresh scarlet maple leaves, which slowly faded into various shades of brown as they dried and decayed, becoming skeletons of their former full-bodied selves. only a handful of golden birch and poplar leaves remained, clinging to their branches, the limbs of oaks and maples reaching up toward the hallow sky like arteries. finally, early this week, the overnight's frost crystallized into tiny, intricate freckles of snow hugging patches of leaves, moss, rotting wood, and the ground around the bases of trees, starkly beautiful at the same time as they were a faint promise of what is to come. 

All photos taken from 01 October - 06 November 2012

painted fall

rustic orange. scarlet, and crimson maple;
golden yellow birch and poplar;
fiery red sumac—
the warm, familiar colours of a classic Ontario fall. 

the changes in the valley have been subtle this year,
with only splashes and pockets of colour
in the fields and woods where I walk with Glasgow,
as if someone climbed into the landscape and painted them there
with soft, impressionistic brushstrokes.

but whether soft and mellow, or brilliant and flaming,
it is enough to sustain me
as I pull the colours from the trees
and hold them close to my heart,
because even in its exaggerated beauty,
this is what it feels like to be home
among the changing seasons. 

57 - happy october!

i cannot believe that it is already October! while fall is truly my favourite season, it's arrival happened so quickly and i have been so busy with my research i feel like i almost missed it. like the opening lyrics to this song by the Avett Brothers, which are actually part of another song. missing the seasons... the world outside just goes and goes...

but good thing for artists who capture the spirit of the seasons to live on and inspire me from my computer's desktop. i love the richness and warmth of Christiane Engel's new October desktop calendar. the deep red is perfect in so many ways! visit Christiane's lovely blog to download.

53 - blooming leopold

Lauren Winter of blooming leopold recently released the lookbook for her fall/winter 2012 handmade collection, and it is gorgeous! featuring brown wool tweed, black velvet, floral corduroy, and ivory & black organdy in loose, boyishly feminine fits, the new designs are elegant, laid back, and perfectly rustic. shot at the Historic Rock Castle in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the photos have a dreamy, nostalgic charm that captures the lure of fall. while i might be drawn to the stone house in the background because i am currently staying in one (not to mention that historical stone houses have a particular place in my heart!), i find its inclusion in the photos to be wonderfully inviting, making we want to nestle in for the season—in brown wool tweed and black velvet....

view the full lookbook here and visit the blooming leopold shop (where all items are made to order) for more details.

50 - friday favourites: cozy into fall fashion

temperatures are starting to cool down and autumn is in the air! it's making me want to dress in warm, comfortable layers, snuggle up under blankets, and sip hot cups of tea. the textures and earthy neturals of fall are my favourite... so cozy.

top row: Nico blouse from dace / merino wool sweater with elbow patches by Hetterson / ribbed turtleneck from INHABIT

middle row: worker styled shirt by Scotch & Soda / Frye Paige riding boots /classic Filson mackinaw wool timber jacket

bottom row: Stork dress by Birds of North America / fishrman sweater in moss from J.Crew / felted wool cape by TOAST

45 - nova lily: naturally autumn

cotton lace and merino wool are two of my favourite and most cherised materials. it's not surprising that they are taking centre stage in the new nova lily fall collection, available in the shop.

left to right:

WOLLE merino wool felt circle pendant necklace

white IVORY BLOSSOM lace necklace with paper script beads

snow white ICICLE antique lace dangle earrings

OMBRE lace and merino wool felt necklace

40 - nova lily: first fall

here's a peak at a few new vintage-inspired items in the shop for fall.

left: empress vintage red wine agate necklace
top right: white sparrow vintage porcelain bauble necklace
bottom right: terra vintage agate sticks and stones dangle earrings