This weekend the dogs and I were catching some late summer sun at Craigmiller Castle. I love the low light and the long shadows which autumn brings, along with her fruits and mist. However the mist had all burned off with the crisp blue sky, and the golden light was saturating the over ripe grass.
The tips of all sorts of branches were saturated with berries and nuts, swollen with colour and juice. Autumns beautiful plump jewels were glowing in the late afternoon light, drawing the eye into corners of dappled shade.
Weaving in secret between the ripe fruits, she spins fates silken threads. All we notice are the purple elderberries, perfect for Christmas, filled with fiery sunlight.
Walking through the chestnut avenue, the light is bewitching, drifting in low patches which shimmer and shift in the warm breeze. The air is filled with green light, and all around is the sound of chestnuts dropping through the canopy of leaves and into the undergrowth.
Encased in protective green spikes, the gleaming conkers shine like polished wood. Smooth and cool to the touch, and filled with the promise of children’s games. Prize seeds, holding the potential of a whole tree.
Autumns colours begin to saturate the green leaves of summer. Red light flutters in the air.
While gold seeds wait for ripe release, back into the dark and fertile soil. The year turns, the colours shift, and the suns light fades with the green of the earth. The earth rolls us on towards the future.
breathofgreenair 
There’s an ocean and quite a bit of land between us, but we have the fallen Chestnut conkers on our central-city neighborhoods’ sidewalks and the Queen Anne’s Lace (Cow Parsnip) in our mountains’ canyons…how wonderful that we share a similar world while being so far apart. 🙂
Beautiful images and narrative…..
U’re photos are as poetic as the Poems
Thank you, the images inspire the words helping them to flow 🙂
Reblogged this on The Wilderness Pharmacist and commented:
U’re Photos are awesome as the Poems
Hello S! I’ll be in your part of the world next week…cuppa?? ~ Liana
Hi Liana, what dates are you here? I would love to try to catch you for chat over a cuppa. My email is seonaid@infernalmachines.co.uk
If you want to try and arrange this 🙂
Such beautiful writing – you catch me up in the enchantment of a northern autumn evening.
Thanks Suzanne, enchanted evenings indeed, which are getting shorter by the day 🙂
Now, THAT’S what I like about Fall. My favourite season described in a way that speaks to me.
I love this time of year, as everything begins to fade, but with one last wild burst of colour 🙂
The berries are so vivid this year, Seonaid.
I keep arriving expecting photos from your travels, but I suppose the main influence is what surrounds you. 🙂
The berries and nuts are indeed incredible this year.
I have lots of photos I could share, but will post them when I feel inspired, or it feels right. Having been away I’m connecting back with the turning season, which is one of my favourites 🙂
I thought as much. I’m just an impatient soul 🙂
wonderful photos, they so capture that fat golden afternoon sun of the autumn — really love the berries glowing with sunlight behind and your reference to the ‘green air’ because I know that phenomenon exactly — can’t wait for our leaves to turn more, they’re not quite ready yet
Only a few of our leaves have turned, and am always curious about the different timing of different tres each year. This year here some sycamores and chestnuts have started the seasonal fall 🙂
We (esp. in eastern Canada, where colours are most vivid because of our species of trees, esp the sugar maple cf our flag) make a fetish of it, yammer on about temp/rainfall/frost combinations and their effect on The Colour — as if we knew! I roll my eyes, but join in enthusiastically, there’s something about crisp clear mild days with blazing colours in the trees
Wonderful colors, Seonaid! 🙂
Thank you, autumn at her best 🙂
Superb post and some great photos 😀
Very kind, glad you enjoyed it…your woods must be heading into autumn now?
rich and beautiful even as summer autumn whispers
What a beautifully worded comment 🙂
This is a wondrous array of pictures. Did you purposely link the sunset in the first shot to the autumn mood in the last two?
Shakti
Thanks Shakti, the shots were all taken on one dog walk in the late afternoon. The shot I posted first was actually the last one taken, as the sun began to disappear behind the castle walls…..actual sunset wouldn’t be for another couple of hours after this 🙂
You did it again, Seonaid. I love the light in your pictures and the motives you have chosen, lovely 🙂
Thanks Hanna, the light is so gorgeous at this time of year….constantly shifting and casting elongated shadows….such drama 🙂
the approach of autumn – these images are capture it all so well …. 🙂
One of my favourite times of year 🙂
Fantastic shots, Seonaid. I too am drinking in Mother Nature’s beauty (and bounty!) and appreciating what this time of year represents. I have been brambling a few times up Corstorphine Hill, enjoying the black, black berries and the stunning autumn light across the city skyline below. Lovely post, as always. See you tomorrow x
Kellie, it’s such a beautiful time of year here in Edinburgh isn’t it? It seems its a bumper year for brambles, and they taste so good. I’ve been returning from dog walks with berry stained fingers! I made a very tasty plum and bramble sponge for pudding on Sunday….they add wonderful colour as well as taste 🙂
Lovely Autumnal shots but most of all I love seeing your dogs again 🙂
Aw, that’s great to hear….I do worry that too many dog shots gets boring 🙂
They are also quite well behaved compared to some of my potential human models who shy away from my lens 🙂
Wow!
Thanks 🙂
What a gorgeous gallery! I’m in love with your first shot 🙂
Paula, I think that shot is coming through as a clear favourite 🙂
Dogs, autumn backlight and an old castle…I guess it’s all good!
Just look at those dear dogs 🙂 You’ve got sunshine, that makes it feel better, such gorgeous colours and I love the conker.
Oh Gilly those dear dogs can cause mayhem when it suits them 🙂
Couldn’t resist the backlit shot…..I love autumn light….and I love conkers too. Childhood memories 🙂
Wow, top picture and red leaf are my favorite. What a beautiful world you see.
The dogs are hard to resist…especially when so dramatically backlit!
And there were just a few of these red leaves, dramatic hints at what’s to come 🙂
Excellent! I love your pictures. 🙂
What beautiful colours and shots. That first one is so beautiful!
Thanks Fi, I can’t resist back lit shots….even when they result in lens flare 🙂
The light and shadows are brilliant and so inspiring at this time of year, and I loved the shadows the dogs were casting.
The leaf against the blue sky is my favorite — so simple in its beauty and composition.
Thanks Kat, I loved the contrast of colours, and it’s slightly moth-eaten edges!
Gorgeous photos. I’m glad you’re still having good weather. It was fabulous while I was there; and it’s very cold and windy back in NZ!
Great to hear you enjoyed the weather here….but soon you’ll be moving into summer surely. I find it very confusing ( but I am easily confused) to think about the opposing seasons in the two halves of the world 🙂
Yes; it’s spring here and we’ve just moved our clocks forward. But it’s still very wet, cold and windy. 🙂
My favorite season,love your photos!
Oh mine too….Autumn walks what’s not to love 🙂
Seonaid, you’ve captured the many aspects of fall. 🙂
And it’s only just getting started…..the trees are beginning to show patches of red leaves…can’t wait till they are tumbling around us like golden blossom 🙂
Wonderful post, Seonaid. Your words and pictures, blend seamlessly and leave me with a sense that all is well with the world. 🙂
I love this comment, thank you 🙂 And its great to hear that it all blends.
Such a powerful invocation of the season through words and images! Than you! This post is so evocative of my childhood life in Lincolnshire.
My pleasure Michael, I’m very happy to evoke happy childhood memories. I remember gathering conkers myself for matches at school which often ended in bruised fingers! I also remember gathering them more recently with my son…..wonderful memories 🙂
Beautiful post! The canopy of leaves image is gorgeous.
I love to walk through avenues of trees….this one is almost all horse chestnut trees, so the conkers were tumbling all around us 🙂
As always .. beautiful, beautiful scenery. It seems every where you turn, in your immediate part of the world, there is something totally out-of-this-world to behold. How can that be? Maybe you don’t really live anywhere in particular and simply post images taken on your peregrinations around the world. Tell the truth Seonaid … what’s going on? D
Ha David, you have busted me! I love the idea of peregrinations…..I just found out recently that pilgrims can also be called peregrines 🙂
We are so lucky here in Scotland because history is oozing from almost every inch of ground. Craigmiller Castle is about 2 miles from my house, and it’s set in great woodlands and wild hay meadows which are wonderful for dog walking. It’s the castle where Mary Queen of Scots lived while in Edinburgh ( when not at Holyrood Palace), and because she brought so many French courtiers, tailors, shoe makers etc. with her from France, the little village beside the castle is called Little France!
I am reminded of a memorable, single, line from the movie ‘Napolean Dynamite’ (have you seen it?) … L – U – C – K – Y! D
I’ve been focused on the colors lately too – that glorious golden autumn light is just wonderful. Your photos capture it perfectly.
I love the colours and the light of Autumn, and the way that everyday brings a visible change 🙂
Glorious scenes. They make me long to ride through them on horseback at a leisurely rate – particularly that avenue.
Horseback would be a fabulous way to travel this countryside. There are lots of bridal ways here in Midlothian, and often we will pass horses and their riders as we walk. I always love that slightly higher vantage point from horseback 🙂
So beautiful how you describe things with words. It makes me feel happy and in peace. How is that possible? 😉
Rosa, what a lovely comment. Those were exactly the feelings, peace and happiness, which filled me as we walked through the autumn sunlight. It’s wonderful to hear they seeped into the post, into the words around the pictures 🙂