Our Green and Pleasant Land…..

….has turned various shades of yellow, gold and orange. We drove round the local lanes yesterday photographing all the beautiful colours that were around us. As each day goes by the colours are deepening and the problem is, do we wait a bit longer and risk all the leaves coming down in a gale overnight, or photograph them now while they are still on the trees?

Prickly Pear Blossom Park

Prickly Pear Blossom Park

A short walk enjoying the sunshine in the park

A short walk enjoying the sunshine in the park

The beech trees seem to have the best colour

The beech trees seem to have the best colour

While we were walking, the bird song was as if it was spring.

While we were walking, the bird song was as if it was spring.

The trees seemed to have the best colour at the edge of the wood where they were in the sun

The trees seemed to have the best colour at the edge of the wood where they were in the sun.

There is something so magical walking through ancient trees.

There is something so magical walking through ancient trees.

Even the bracken had taken on its autumn colouring.

Even the bracken had taken on its autumn colouring.

More bracken shining in the low sunlight.

More bracken shining in the low sunlight.

The Field Maple is one of our hedgerow trees, they turn a lovely buttery yellow.

The Field Maple is one of our hedgerow trees, they turn a lovely buttery yellow.

 

Returning home via a circular route through the next village.

Returning home via a circular route through the next village.

This is where my nearest shop is, the drive here is so beautiful.

This is where my nearest shop is, the drive through here is so beautiful.

So many lovely trees, so many bits of woodland.

So many lovely trees, so many bits of woodland.

It was clouding over now, the sun was almost gone.

It was clouding over now, the sun was almost gone.

This is where all the large expensive houses are!

This is where all the large expensive houses are!

This road is so beautiful too in spring time, when the leaves are such a delicate green.

This road is so beautiful too in spring time too, when the leaves are such a delicate green.

Another of the places where we used to walk our dog - happy memories.

Another of the places where we used to walk our dog – happy memories.

That's it for our tour round looking for autumn tints, back home for a coffee!

That’s it for our tour round looking for autumn tints, back home for a coffee!

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20 Responses to Our Green and Pleasant Land…..

  1. Cathy says:

    Your post popped into my in-box just as I was switching off, so I have grabbed it while it is still hot! Thank you SO much for sharing this lovely tour of your local trees – as you say it is a magical time of year and these views can change so quickly depending on the weather – as I write there is a sudden (seemingly one-off) huge gust of wind which will no doubt have brought down more of our leaves. Walking in woodland is so restorative whatever the time of year, a real grounding experince, isn’t it?

    • Pauline says:

      Cathy, I think a lot of our leaves are coming down before they have had a chance to change, which is a shame. We were so lucky when we had our last dog, that we have so many wooded areas to walk in, they are really special places.

  2. Such beautiful colours, you are so lucky to have so many wonferful mature trees so close by, they are so atmospheric. And I must stop tping “so”!!! Lovely does of autumn magic, thank you.

    • Pauline says:

      Janet, sometimes words fail us because nature is so beautiful. We are lucky to live in a country where we have 4 distinct seasons, each one with its own special merits, I just wish the colours of autumn lasted a bit longer.

  3. rusty duck says:

    Glorious Pauline. The beech trees are just perfect now!

    • Pauline says:

      Jessica, the next village has so many beech trees and they always turn such a beautiful colour. Our village had mainly oaks which just turn brown! We have a beech hedge here which is now showing its autumn colours, but I wouldn’t want it to grow into huge trees, we have enough with our ash, oak and chestnuts!

  4. Annette says:

    Oh Pauline, I so love beech trees and this little tour made me happy and sad at the same time, because it brought back such happy memories of our Irish garden and park which was full of mature beech trees. My favourite time was spring then when millions of delicate buds would unfurl into fresh green (there has to be a better way to describe that special green, no?) leaves and everything looked so light and airy for a few weeks. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your countryside 🙂

    • Pauline says:

      Annette, beech are one of my favourites too and as you say, the colour of the leaves when they first come out is absolutely amazing, I don’t think an artist would be able to mix the exact shade! I’m so glad my post reminded you of Ireland which certainly is a green and pleasant land, I’ve spent many a happy holiday there.

  5. Anna says:

    Oh what fabulous colour Pauline. I think that you made a most wise decision to take your photos when you did. Here tremendous gusts of wind bought a carpetful of leaves down overnight. Have just come in from leaf sweeping. Better exercise than going to the gym.

    • Pauline says:

      Anna, the wind is blowing and the leaves are all falling from an acer that turns a delicious orange colour, this year there won’t be many left to turn! We will still be sweeping up at Christmas, our oaks are always the last to loose their leaves, but as you say, it’s good for the waistline!

  6. Cathy says:

    That was such an enjoyable tour Pauline! The little lanes with those lovely old trees are just so English, and it’s scenes like this that make me feel a little homesick! Our leaves came down rather quickly this year, and a light frost this week has brought down the remaining birch. Only the hazels seem to be hanging on now, and the larch are turning golden at last.

    • Pauline says:

      Sorry Cathy, I didn’t mean to make you feel homesick! The lanes here in Devon are very pretty at all times of the year with their trees and roadside flowers. The autumn colours are late this year, easily a month behind last year, so the colours are not lasting very long, being blown away as soon as they change.

  7. Lovely trees, lovely tour! Blessings, Natalie 🙂

  8. Christina says:

    Thank you for sharing these special images. In my Italian gardening magazine there was an article this month about the restorative value of woodland, apparently the effect of the benefits of the individual trees is more than multiplied in a wood, the whole being more than the addition of its parts. (sorry not very well put, but I think you’ll understand what I mean).

    • Pauline says:

      Christina, I agree, I know exactly what you mean! I find that walking in woodland at any time of year very uplifting, I don’t know why, it just makes me feel so much better. I think we appreciate our woodlands so much because there are so few left these days but we are very lucky where we live as we have quite a few to choose from. Now of course, more people are planting deciduous woodlands on a large scale, trying to redress the balance.

  9. Wendy says:

    I’ve loved this wander through the woods and lanes where you are. The sunshine this week has made the mature trees look glorious, hasn’t it? I was looking at the beech trees today in the sun, their colour is stunning. And I agree, there is something magical about walking through ancient trees.

    • Pauline says:

      Thanks Wendy, I really enjoyed myself doing it. As you say, the sunshine has been wonderful this week, bringing out the colours on the trees. The cold nights should deepen the colours, lets hope we see them before they blow away!

  10. Frank says:

    What a peaceful woodland to walk through, nothing dark or dreary there! It really has a nice feel to it. Plus the trees just look healthy with their smooth gray trunks and graceful forms. I bet it does look fantastic in spring too!

    • Pauline says:

      Hello Frank, lovely to hear from you! We are very lucky having lots of huge ancient trees where we live, spring and autumn are always a delight where there are beech trees, with such wonderful colours.

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