the running wave

On a sunny Saturday morning, sparkling with frost, the dogs and I walked around our favourite field. There was a satisfying crunch of walking boot on frozen mud and, as always, glorious views to Fife, Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat and the Garleton Hills to the east.

We have had days and days of grey.  Grey skies, grey mist, grey rain.  The ground underfoot, wherever I walk, is sodden and water logged.  We splash our way up the fairways on the golf course, where the dogs and I walk every morning before breakfast.  So today some blue sky overhead with pale late November sunshine was very welcome indeed. The dogs and I headed for Gosford for a mid-morning walk.  There are always treats to see there, and todayI found my favourite autumn berry, the shocking pink spindle berry, sitting alongside the snow berry.  There was also a huge amount of water from recent rainfall, rushing along historic water channels, which are normally dry and filled with woodland debris.

It is almost December and I have finally cleared away the sweet pea plants, despite a handful of flower buds at the end of two or three green vines.  No bud or fresh flower gets binned by me!  And these flowers, in particular, have been so stalwart and beautiful that I thought the very least I could do, in recognition of their performance into very late autumn, would be to give them centre stage in my vase today.

What a magical place to grow up!

There are very few flowers in the garden now, and the same goes for the hedgerows, so where to turn for today's vase?  I wasn't sure.  However, last night while cooking the supper and feeling in need of some cool fresh air, I opened the stable door and in the cold and dark of the evening I got a spicy whiff of fennel, mixed with curry plant, and that gave me my inspiration for today's vase.  A bouquet garni, a bunch of herbs and fragrant leaves which are defying the dropping temperatures and coming together to give a glorious snapshot of our November garden.  I have put them in my Emma Bridgewater Brixton Spongeware jug. My vase this week has parsley, fennel, rosemary, bay, rose geranium, curry plant, sage, calendula and French lavender. PS : Have you noticed who has crept in to the bottom left hand corner of the photo above?

Clear blue skies, and our cottage had sunshine streaming through the windows all day.  Here is morning sunlight on two little cyclamen plants, which bravely stood up to the overnight frost.

The peace poppy takes centre stage in my photo for Armistice Day today.  No need for any other words.

Cathy at  https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com , whose brainchild IAVOM (In A Vase On Monday) it is, has set us a challenge this week, to produce a miniature vase, no bigger than 6"/15cm tall or wide, to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the weekly Monday post. I have used an eggcup, with egg, to give some scale to my offering this week.  The nasturtiums have survived a couple of frosts and some cold nights, but possibly not for much longer.  I picked the smallest flowers I could find to fit in a tiny porcelain vase, which is almost completely spherical with a circular off-centre opening.  It was made by a friend from long ago, Ingrid Atkinson, who I have not seen for about thirty years.  She used to live and work as a ceramicist in West Meon, in Hampshire. The flowers may be small, but they still pack a colourful punch! We also have another tiny porcelain vase made by the late Austrian-born British ceramics artist Lucie Rie.  Today'...

Today, with the welcome accompaniment of some sunshine along some of the way, our walking group walked from Yellowcraigs, near Dirleton, along the John Muir Way to North Berwick, and then back along the beach, to complete a big circle. It was a lovely walk and we all enjoyed the respite from the endless rain of the past days.  Evidence of the effects of the volume of rain pouring off the fields and coursing down and out to sea can be seen in the photo below, where the sand has been cut away to the depth of about five feet.  The oystercatchers were enjoying the spoils of a receding tide!