Colours

It's been funny weather recently: either beautiful sunshine or rain, often alternating in quick succession or indeed both happening at the same time. I suppose perhaps it's just that it's autumn. 

We walked down to the local park one day recently and saw a display of different apple varieties. It was surprisingly interesting. They all had notices saying when they were developed and by whom. One of these said that its apple had been around since 1200. Really? I can't remember what it was called, but don't recall anything in, say, Chaucer, about any named varieties of apple. I'm intrigued to know where the records for this apple are, but I suppose the information must have come from somewhere. Or maybe it was a typo. The others tended to be from the 1800s or in some cases, the 16- or 1700s. Anyway, the room smelt wonderful - I'd never before thought of apples as being particularly fragrant. 

I'm making two quilts at once - quilting a dragon one for Medium Granddaughter and just beginning to sew together a dinosaur/vehicle one for Small Grandson (both at their request). I decided just to do simple squares for him because he's only 3, and won't care, but having cut out the nine-patches in a variety of fabrics, decided that it was all too busy and recut them in self-colours, or solids, as it turns out that Americans call them. So I have a lot of four and a half inch squares left over. 

I think I've fiddled with it since this picture, but I like it much better. 

Talking of liking things better, I had a little revelation recently. When Son went to New Zealand about 15 years ago, he kindly brought me a bit of blue glass, which has sat in the sitting room since then. I was dusting it the other day and noticed that it had a little signature on the top. Funny, I thought - such things are usually signed on the bottom. Experimentally, I turned it over. 

Oh! 

Biggest Granddaughter (9) painted my portrait the other day. I like my cheery smile and slim figure (if only). At the top, she drew some objects that she associates with me, which I thought rather sweet. These include a rainbow, many cups of hot beverages, my handbag, patchwork, biscuits (they don't get biscuits at home, oops), flowers, a watering can, and the magic pot. This last is a little wooden canister that sometimes has chocolate in it for visiting grandchildren. They call it "the magic pot" and fantasise that the magic pot fairy fills it up. You can also see this fairy illustrated. 

Autumn is happening at the Botanics too. Such yellow rudbeckia.

Such pink nerines. 

Such pretty foliage.