Liverpool light in darkness

 Cold night warmed up by the soaring music of the Swedish Lucia celebrations at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Candlelit crowns and the procession of a goosebump inducing soul stirring choir dressed in white gowns. Utter bliss. It couldn't have been any more wintry followed by a hot chocolate with whipped cream in the pop up ski lodge under the illuminated Christmas tree in the heart of the city.

As we walked around, past revellers and festive romancers we found a light show projection onto a building at the historic Albert Dock and fairy light scattered carousel horses reflected in those cold waters of maritime tales and yellow submarines. The lights of Liverpool. a city of great culture and a lot to explore day or night. Stumbling upon the oldest building in Liverpool that is now an arts venue,the security guard couldn't have been any more helpful and despite it being closed, he delighted in telling us all about the history of the place. But that's what you come to expect from Liverpool, proud people full of life just like their city. 

Just lots of pretty fireworks

Have a great Bonfire Night! 

Sturgeon Moon

 After such a rainy summer where a lack of allotment attendance has meant an overgrown array of mares tail, grass and an ochre carpet of bee and hoverfly attracting nasturtiums, there was a surprising amount of homegrown goodies hiding amongst the vegetation to take home:

• French beans
• Borlotti beans
• Glorious orange gladioli
• A pumpkin already fallen off its stalk
• Beetroot
• Potatoes
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Courgette

After dispatching the bounty into the car I was able to take a walk around the plots as the sun dipped and buttery light streamed across the corn tassels. Still blue skies but twilight creeping in from under the railway bridge and across the vegetable patches. Sunflowers reaching for the last sunbeams before the shadows take over.

 The leeks have flowered adding a row of full stops to a strip of bare soil that once grew early potatoes and tansy from a Medieval Fayre has softened the edges with its medicinal yellow 'bitter buttons'. Once used as a strewing herb on the floors to keep the flies away, it does indeed have a strong camphorous smell. Folkore says it will keep monsters away so we gathered some to take home to see if it works......  Walking to the plots at the far end to admire a profusion of sunflowers in all sizes and past sweet peas climbing a trellis, I looked up and saw the full moon all aglow, low in the sky just above the rooftops. A sturgeon moon, so called as it marks the time when the fish can be readily caught.

One of those moments where you feel at ease, just in awe of such a majestic sight and the connection of everything from the little seeds that I sow to the tiny moths I disturb as I brush through the grass and the heady scent in the air of late summer.


Joining in with Mammasaurus for How Does Your Garden Grow?

An evening walk

 Whilst the evenings have been balmy, we've been making the most of it and exploring places local, finding new pathways through the countryside on our doorstep and discovering tucked away places. By fields and rivers and along canals as the sun started to dip behind the tree line. Grass tickling legs and gnats trying to have a feast, successfully according to the backs of my knees today - aghhh! Little clouds of biting chaos above the water.  As the end of the day draws in, there is still plenty happening by the canal although at a slower pace. Boats moored for the evening are a light buzz of chatter and clattering dinner plates, folded chairs on the canal side with glasses of wine beside them and dozing dogs.Out on the still water the swan family are eagerly awaiting one of the boat ladies to start throwing some water fowl to them and soon there is a gathering of ducks loking for their share too. A damselfly flitted about but too quick for me and my camera.  Chirping amongst the bulrushes with cotton wound tails and gently movement, an ever so slight breeze to take away the languid stickiness of the day.  For me, the excitement of the canal network are the pathways and adventures that it opens up. You see a secret side of the countryside, passing bridges, farms and it's a whole new area to learn about. I've learnt the names of bridges, discovered goods train lines I didn't know existed, found babbling brooks through parted trees and old disused buildings. 
.   Views across the river valley, rolling fields of greens and yellows. Places that are unknown when sticking to roads. Every so often a boat came chugging down the canal, people relaxing and waving to my little boy.
I really hope we get many more of these sunny evenings to venture out and soak up the golden hour before bedtime, tread through soft grass and waft hands through flower spikes and dancing white umbellifer heads. There's the other direction to explore now into the town's industrial heritage, the remains of a salt industry intermingled with nature and another evening's canalside activity to peek at.