November 15th 2011. Falling leaves.

I was eating my breakfast this morning whilst watching the leaves on next door's cherry tree.
It's the same each year. The beautiful colours of late autumn appear almost like an Impressionist painting.
They were shivering in the morning light, like individual tiny flames. And surrounding the base of the slender trunk, a carpet of intense reds, yellows, oranges, ochres, and burnt siena. A veritable pallette for a sunset picture.    

Fallen  leaves of the  flowering cherry tree.

I am always amazed that these leaves fall suddenly all at once, all together, almost as if they decide it's time. Leaving the remainder to be blown by the wind or to succumb to the next cold snap. But I've never seen them all fall together. I woke this morning and there they were..................a glorious carpet.  

And the reason for this.......the new growth for next spring has pushed them aside. But spring will come again, and until then there will be more glorious days in amongst the dying of the year. Time to put the garden to bed in readiness for a winter sleep. And yet, I discovered one or two bulbs already beginning to tentatively send out green shoots.  

Our maple finally revealed in all it's late autumn splendour.  

As the sun begins to set around 3.15pm, and the darker evenings close in, the trees are preparing for their renaissance.................comforting thought when winter finally begins to bite.