September’s colour challenge, set by Jude at Travel Words, is Gold: wealth, richness & luxury.
To many, it’s also the colour of autumn, when nature’s colours fade to burnished gold as plants and leaves die off, their sap returning to and strengthening their core, before the next growing season.
Our Autumn grounds will be thickly blanketed with russet gold oak leaves, as though to protect the earth from the harsh of the winter. These therefore feature highly in this month’s contribution to Jude’s challenge on ‘Travel Words’, alongside a poem celebrating nature’s richness in the golden season.
“The nights are drawing in and the air is getting cold
The sunsets are changing from yellow to gold...
… The hedgehogs are preparing for their long winter’s sleep
whilst squirrels are busy searching for acorns to keep…
… The leaves are tumbling to the ground
With a riot of colour: red, gold and brown...
… it’s time to think about jumpers & warm clothes
Scarf & gloves at the ready for when the wind blows…
...Light a log fire so it’s flames burn bright
while you sip a hot chocolate on a cold autumn night…
(Poem highlighting the joys of Autumn Golds by Alison Collier)
The Oaks 
I love the poem and your photos are fabulous., Emma. Makes me almost wish I was going to be in England for the autumn, but I’m still happy to be going to South Africa for the spring. 🙂
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I don’t blame you! Have the most wonderful time catching up with all those you’ve not been able to see for so long – and enjoy that beautiful country🙏🙂
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What a fabulous post, preparing us for all the most positive and enjoyable parts of autumn. Now, can you make November’s wind, rain and general dismalness enticing please?
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Oh, November – community fireworks, teas by the fire, quieter in the garden so time for long walks – cold faces with toasty hats and gloves, joys of feeding the birds and finally, Spring wouldn’t be able to ‘spring’ with such joy if not preceded by the greys and cold of winter!
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Oh, how wonderfully positive you are. I could add ‘birthday parties’, as my elder daughter is a Bonfire Night Baby.
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…oh gosh yes, and both my daughters have November birthdays – what not to love about November!! Xx
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I enjoyed the poem and autumn is such a wonderful time to create great photos.
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Thank you Suzanne – Autumn could be seen as the time when everything is dying off, but I think it’s when nature restocks for the season ahead… the rich colours seem to fit with that enriching purpose of the season!
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Lovely selection and I love the poem running throughout….
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Thank you Marie, much appreciated! x
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Beautifully put together Emma. I love the way you have threaded the poem throughout your photos, and such a lovely poem it is too. Unknown to me so thank you for sharing this. I suppose the fact your place is called the oaks should leave us in no doubt that you have many oak trees! They do die beautifully though.
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Thanks so much, Jude! Yes – I never realised until I came here how amazing Oaks are – but equally, I will never live in a house that’s named after plural trees again… “The Oak”, ie just one tree, would be so much less autumn leaf clearing work 🙂
Thank you for putting the challenge together – it’s so inspiring to see everyone’s beautiful and imaginative contributions!
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Yes, I can imagine the work, plus all those acorns dropping everywhere!
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All good though – and it does mean plenty of fab compost!
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Yes, lovely leaf mulch!
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Aglow with fine photography, pleasing prose and poetry
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Amazing golden rainbow.
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Thank you – rainbows are amazing, aren’t they! x
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Beautiful autumm leaves& Flowers are god color.
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Yes, autumn golds are warming, and beautiful – thank you!
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Still balmy evenings here but there is just a hint of cool in early mornings. I don’t miss the cold but I do get nostalgic for autumn leaves, Emma.
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I’m so with you about the cold. The double benefit (if one can see it as such!) of Autumn leaves is that it takes us about 2 months to clear ours – and all that raking and dragging to the various leaf heaps is a great way of keeping warm!
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