A Bit Of Tree Art.

The cheerfulness of trees, whatever the season.

 Again nature provides a cheerful front. Today, despite it being bitterly cold, was one of those perfect mornings, where nature shone and moods lifted.

The coldness made the colours contrast more it seems. Soon the branches will be bare and the ground covered in a beautiful carpet ranging from yellows via greens to rust hues. Magical.

The faithful birch trees steal the show in every segment of the annual seasons.

' Peek-a-boo, I see you...'

Parting of ways...

A more shady fella still providing an amazing impression.

Biggi

A Bit Of Colour On This Cold Saturday.

 The leaves keep obliging...

Behind our house there is another small, very small pond. A secret angler's paradise perhaps, but also a source of visual joy. That day there was hardly an air astir thus the pond's surface wonderfully mirrored the trees around it.

The magic red siren! Such a divine and attractive tree. Even in misty conditions it shines its bright red hue for all who come by it.

Ah, the magic of a Burgenland perfectly blue sky needs no explanation...

A bit more of our local pond. Maxi and I walk past it every afternoon on our pre-snack excursion.

Another dash of colour. Gosh this morning the temperature dropped below freezing. Bitterly cold but strangely stunning.

A pale hue, almost the colour of straw. Perhaps it is the blueness of the sky which tends to make the leaves more attractive and cheerful...

Biggi

The Last Tendrils Of Autumn Beauty.

 An exquisite start to the cold season.

The stunning combination of Burgenland's autumn colours.

A visual feast...the leaves are on magnificent display.

A carpet of autumn softness beneath this proud tree and many others.

A more rusty bunch of leaves hanging on for dear life.

Speckled yellow, stunning to behold and another mystery of nature. From a shoot, to green and now yellow. A marvel and a pleasure to follow throughout the year. Three cheers to autumn, nature and life.

Biggi

Autumn Notes.

 A sunflower, sheep and more...

The other morning I had the pleasure of encountering the few last reminders of sun and summer. A perfect sunflower starting her morning accolades to her namesake.

The vines are bare, and the roses blooming. A lovely autumn morning.

A trilogy of roses reflected upon by the sun. A clean slate, a clear signal of a good day ahead.

The back road leading into Eisenberg covered in a layer of haze, a haze that I fear has more to do with the lingering layers of smoke collected from a night's worth of heating. Yes, it has been cold and the chimneys have been signaling.

A multicoloured sheep watching me warily but in a friendly manner nonetheless. 

As they are heralded betwixt and between the various fields, I wonder if they actually recognize me? I do encounter them again and again during my morning excursions. Who knows...

The lingering of beige, yellow and rust coloured leaves is a sure sign of autumn in full swing. The crescendo of the leaves crunching under my feet had its own special magic.

Biggi

The Leaves Are Turning.

 Autumn is starting to leave little notes.

The corn is almost ready to be harvested. Somehow it feels as if overnight the lush greens have been replaced by dried out beige.

Different yet uniform. A field of corn is counting down the days....

The leaves are changing to a more laid back yellow. Autumn brings forth a phase of contemplation about the months gone by and winter to come. Another year gone, another on the cards. Nature's way of counting time.

This morning was perfect yet again. Cool and crisp enough to wear a jersey, yet bright enough to reflect the awesome beauty of a summer's end.

Another bench perfect to reflect upon. To sit and stare into the distance is one of life's undiscovered pleasures. Free, perfect and therapeutic.

Biggi

A Sudden Nip In The Air.

The last of the Summer's days yield to the start of Autumn.

It crept up on us rather slowly or did it? The nights have helped cool us down quicker than during those  scorcher days of July along with their tepid nights. September nights are nice and obliging making it necessary to use a blanket yet again. Lovely and a jolly welcome change from the warm stagnant evening  air that summer held. 

Mornings are another marker of autumn's arrival. Walking without a jacket is out of the question as even this morning it must have dropped below ten degrees. Or at least it felt like it and was a nice way to reconnect to most of my jackets.

Sun's up much later too and somehow it seems as though all buck, deer and rabbits have followed suit and got up a bit later. Not so many about recently which makes me shudder when I connect the dots between the odd shot echoing from the forest and the dwindling number of deer. Not nice.

As it is the case all over the world, our temperatures have also been off kilter to their norm and thus the start of  wine harvest is still up in the air for many farmers. Some grape varietals are ready for picking but the main one for our area is still gaining enough sweetness to warrant being squeezed into wine. Too much rain I've heard but then again, one can never have enough natural water in store.

Today proved to be a lovely winterish sort of Sunday. Nice and mellow, cool enough to wear a sweater and use a blanket and lazy enough to catch up on books and sleep. Thankfully it is frowned upon in our area to do any work around the house or yard on a Sunday and far be it for me to go against this unwritten rule!

Autumn is a real stunner in our area as we are surrounded by oodles of forests and once the leaves start turning to  magical yet soothing yellow and orange, not much is needed to be content with life. Honestly, the spectacle of witnessing leaves turn colour should be on everyone's list of what to do on holiday or any other day for that matter...

Biggi

Walking In The Rain.

Autumn pleasures.

The rain has shown a very tenacious streak lately. Rain and more of it has changed our rather dried out landscape into a moist and glistening one. Puddles are appearing, roads are topped by a layer of water and roofs have turned into water slides. The sound of water being turfed off the tarmac by wheels is omnipresent and rather nice to hear.

Walking when it rains isn't for everybody but that makes it all the more enjoyable to have roads, paths and byways to oneself. Blissful solitude only interrupted by a woodpecker knocking away, sheep noisily grazing in vineyards and the odd dog unfortunate enough to have been turfed out of a warm house doing a mediocre job at barking for protection.

The local geese have taken to huddling together outside on their meadow yet dwindling in numbers daily. Why can't they just flap their wings a bit harder and make a run for it? I can't tell you how often I have been tempted to cut a whole into the fence...

This latest bout of rain has tucked itself in for the next few days and why shouldn't it. It is a rite of the weather passage after all and many places in the world would be thrilled to have a week of rain.

The best part of a rainy week is of course the pleasure of witnessing it whilst looking up from reading a book...

Biggi

A Slice Of Autumn.

Beautiful Burgenland doffing summer's stole and donning winter's tulle.

Chestnuts not quite roasting on the open fire a la Bing Crosby but gracing the verge and creating a nice little autumn assemble...

It feels rather strange to see the vines picked clean and lean. A month of harvest has started the countdown to the vines' winter hibernation and also set a example for all to see and notice the passing of summer...don't worry, we can feel it.

What would autumn be without a prolific sprouting of mushrooms? All along the forest's edge a selection of them are snuggling between rocks and foliage daring anyone to pick them. Far from brave am I...mushrooms, especially the self picked ones remind me a bit of Russian Roulette...not for me.

Another hidden fungi waiting to be picked. Aren't they amazing? The intricate details of of them and the fact that most of the time they sprout in groups is another one of nature's marvels.

The pink ' popcorn ' plant with the exotic sounding Latin name of:vaccinium corymbosum...a nice surprise at the end of my walk through our forest. Seeing such a brightly coloured plant amid the rather dull colours of a fading summer was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that despite the next few months being grey and bare, little treasures of beauty are everywhere.

Biggi

A Nice Autumn Day.

A day too nice to be inside.

Thank goodness the clocks are changing back soon. As you can see, the mornings are later than normal which is why I get to picture these nice albeit chilly sunrises.

Whereas last week the field was filled with maize, this week only the forgotten bits are blanketing the fields. Pretty though.

Atop the Eisenberg everything is touched by the golden sunshine.

An old fashioned gingerbread house standing alone and abandoned at the side of the road. Clad in autumn's colours makes it a bit more cheerful and charming.

Again a scene from the upper Eisenberg...romantic and worthy of being painted.

Finally, some more of the perfectly stripped corn.

Biggi

An Awesome Autumn Day.

A stormy background.

The sky had taken on a Shakespearian quality, the wind was howling and the stage was set for a strange day.

A tree house made to order...imagine a childhood spent in and around it?

Nature again assembled a perfect scene and setting for another day in paradise.

Mausi's doppelgänger hiding amid the maize field. When I first noticed this kitten, my heart dropped thinking that it was her and she'd somehow done a runner from home and was taunting me along the way.

Rather fitting seeing this street sign as behind me the sun was winning the day...

A mere roof with a chimney, but for me this embodies what Autumn is all about...stormy weather changing the hue of summer brightness to a more sedate Autumn mellowness.

Biggi

The Defying Embers Of Autumn.

A preponderance of reds.

A fiery crimson to stop you in your tracks considering it is November already.

A few trees are still bearing fruit or rather offering them for all and sundry...I took the liberty to partake in this apple offering and couldn't believe how delicious the apple was. Juicy and sweet.

A russet vine doubling as a music note.

A blurry yet lustrous red creates a fitting depth for the vibrant lawn.

An ordinary tree frames the heart of Eisenberg rather well.

A tranquil pause for thought. The fading colours of autumn create a romantic moment.

Biggi