Autumn Leaves ....

It's that time of year when the landscape changes - the deciduous trees change colours and create a rainbow of hues to enjoy.   This is a photo of our beautiful Chinese Tallow starting to turn.

 I remember my  father used to complain about leaves on the ground - always making a mess and having to rake them up.  He said that was why he didn't want deciduous trees on his property, settling for the less changeable evergreen varieties.

 

I am currently working on a page of leaves for the SBA assignment and have never been more aware of their shape, colour, texture, form, etc.  My mother knew I was working on this leaf assignment and visited me recently and handed me an old tin filled with leaves.  My Dad had collected and painstakingly varnished each and every leaf, hundreds of them!  So this from the man who bemoaned the mess that the leaves made .... I opened the tin and laid them all out randomly on a big white board and stepped back.  It was a beautiful display, so I had to share them with you, a work of art in itself.   Dad was a retired farmer and while he would have his gripes about various aspects of nature - he was always one to take notice of things - no matter how small.

How lucky I am to have this precious tin of leaves - he was the last one to touch them ... it's like he is with me while I'm working.  It seems he had a quiet place on his own where he too was fascinated by nature.

Autumn  setting in ....

From time to time I wander out

To see the changing tones

Marvel at the sea of hues

And how it leaves my home

I often think of what he saw

And why he stopped at all

To keep them in a special place

He must have  loved the fall

Miss you Dad xxx