Sensational September with its Abounding Bounty and Autumn Orchids

And its chilly mornings, falling leaves, and lonely bones

Orchids in my bay window are enjoying a new lease of life. Maybe they do that because they can feel the cold coming, or maybe they do that because it’s just the right time of year for bursting into bloom.

Once orchids have been here for a while and acclimated to the bay window they just get on with their own cycles when they choose rather than when the text books say. That’s fine by me!

This marrow (above left) growing over a holly hedge is going to be difficult to reach …

Every year this cone appears under the branches of this plum tree. (middle picture) The cone warns pedestrians of the likelihood of falling plums that are easy to slip in.

On the right, cooking apples have fallen from their tree into the road. PupperJack’s not keen when they’re that sour, or when they have wasps buzzing around them.

Not everything found in the gutter is edible.

Recently, there have been more and more of these little, shiny canisters which would have housed nitrous oxide, a colourless gas.

They are, apparently, also known as ‘whippets’, nangs, (the Australian colloquialism), balloons, chargers and hippy crack.

The canisters with their content of ‘laughing gas’ or nitrous oxide, are designed to make cream fluffy and long-lasting as in whipped cream.

I gather the gas is used to fill a balloon and it is ‘imbibed’ from there.

Blimey.

PupperJack has important things on his mind:

“Sorry, Susan — I simply have no time for idle chit-chat — this poor, lonely bone needs my urgent attention.”

Eryngium planum, the ‘blue eryngo’ or ‘flat sea holly’ is showing up to good advantage now as autumn advances on the local gardens. I always think they look a bit otherworldly.

Sunflowers are blooming in the neighbourhood gardens. There are many more this year, grown in support of Ukraine. This one was entertaining a bee when I took the photo.

The picture above right is of nicotiana. There are various Nicotiana species, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, but around here it is the ornamental garden plant that is grown.

Leaves are starting to fall in the graveyard, too.

Dahlias are at their best at this time of year — (top left and middle) — there is such a huge variety of them — they certainly provide quite the splash of colour.

On the right above is Salvia Hot Lips — the red and white flower — and the succulent sedums (stonecrop) are starting to flower.

The streets around my neighbourhood have their own individual fashion statements in their architecture — fancy arches over the front door, double front doors of unusual width etc.

This street boasts particular tiling under the bay window and up the sides of the porch. Lovely!

I opened up the sofa bed and found it had become one of PupperJack’s secret bone hidey places.

He was most put out that I’d made the discovery, leapt into the gap, snatched the bone, and ran off with it.

I discovered it later half-buried in the lawn.

There is no way of me telling if it’s the same bone as he was paying attention to earlier, or a different, older, more secret bone. He can tell the difference between all the bones in his collection. Me — not so much.

I could see the predator, but he was hidden from PupperJack’s sight by the wall. I virtually tiptoed along there, terrified that some awful sixth sense would tell him a cat was just there. The resulting cacophony would have been tremendous if he’d had the slightest suspicion.

But we made it past and I was able to breathe again, ear drums intact.

This was an unexpected delivery this week. A veritable symphony in pink. Lovely!

Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily) is a rather unappreciated florist’s flower, but it lasts for ages.

Ivy-leaved toadflax is blooming everywhere — one of my favourite wild flowers, it grows just where it pleases. Blackberries grow where they’re not pulled out, too. It’s a shame, but this year, they’re rather small and sour due to the drought when they needed plenty of rain.

Even PupperJack isn’t trying to get at them and normally he would eat anything even if only vaguely edible.

Yes — autumn’s definitely in the air — such a great time for going for walks; and a great opportunity for jumping in leaves, too.

Susan’s Amazon Page / Susan’s Etsy Store/ newsletter sign-up

Read more from me: © Susan Alison 2022