Old superstitions

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Grandad
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Old superstitions

Post by Grandad »

I have heard it said that an abundance of berries, nuts and acorns in the autumn is a sign of a hard winter to follow.
We have a small oak tree on the embankment and from the upstairs windows can see the crown of the tree. Some years there is not an acorn in sight but this year there is an abundance so the squirrels will be caching like crazy.
Anyone else noticed a change in this years winter larder?
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Horus »

Bit of a mixture Grandad, very few Butterflies this year, some trees do seem to have lots of seeds like Oak trees, but others like Hawthorn and Blackthorn not so much. I can also detect an early onset of Autumn with some yellowing of leaves on some trees and bushes and dying back of grasses and bracken. The berry crop looks like it may be good with lots of Blackberries in the hedgerows and early signs that the Elderberries may be starting to fill out and turn purple, but a lot will depend on us getting a bit more sunshine than we have had so far especially if you live away from the South East of the country.
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Grandad »

Horus we are also seeing some leaves turning yellow. We have had a lot of rain in the last week or two so I am not sure why the early changes in some trees especially chestnuts???
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Mad Dilys »

I noticed chestnut leaves going yellow a couple of weeks ago, obviously no shortage of water in Cardiff this "summer". ;)

I live in hope it will be an Indian Summer this year. 8)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Horus »

Me too MD :up I still have another week booked in Betwsy-y-coed in September
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Kiya »

The only thing I've noticed is the nights are drawing in again, I had my lights on at 9pm last evening. :o
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Grandad »

Kiya wrote:The only thing I've noticed is the nights are drawing in again, I had my lights on at 9pm last evening. :o
We have noticed how soon the evenings are drawing in, particularly when it is cloudy.
MD, an Indian summer off the north west coast of Africa mid October would be just right ;) :lol: 8)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Mad Dilys »

Everyone thinks Ibiza has perfect weather, but not so. In the summer when it rains sometimes we have to stop the car as the rain pounds down and the windscreen washers can't cope with it. For the first two weeks of my holiday last year it was unrelenting rain - I felt so sorry for the folks on their annual holiday of one or two weeks.

They recently had torrential rain following a couple of weeks of high temperatures and very high humidity. However, the place is hard to beat out of season, I love it! I hope to make the move one day. :a20:
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Geez - I posted on this yesterday and it didn't stick sooooooo ...... days are shortening here and last night we had a light rain that broke the record 55 days NO RAIN. Can't believe how clean the air here feels.

I haven't noticed anything overt like excess fruit or nuts this year and actually given our extremes of weather this past winter with snow piled up to my shoulders, freezing cold spring 'til mid-June and then record breaking no rain during summer the gardens and animals seem to be normal.

We've had a few reports of bears, wolves, cougars coming into town a bit more frequently and getting more aggressive towards people but otherwise we seem fairly ok by what I'm noticing.
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Horus »

Saying as yesterday was such a lovely day myself and Annie set off along the Macclesfield canal for a walk. We parked up at a local marina and armed with a bottle of water for Annie and an orange for myself plus my small pocket camera we set off. As we had been talking about an early Autumn on another thread and the nuts and berries on the trees I was paying particular attention as we walked to the flowers and hedgerows. Our walk takes us along a very pleasant section of this canal and I often see Herons along this stretch, but not today, neither did I see the elusive Kingfisher that everyone keeps telling me that they see along this particular part. However I did see quite a few large Dragonflies, although they move too fast for me to get any pictures of them as they patrolled along the reedy margins seeking out other insects to feed on, Moor Hens and Coots along with a few Mallard hens were enjoying the freedom to swim about unmolested by the colourful males, at least for a short time until next Spring, all this made up the fauna as we strolled by. This is an old stretch of canal and must look very much as it did when first built, old wrought iron railings installed at the request of a wealthy landowner so as not to spoil his magnificent view from his stately home compliment the low arched stone bridge just wide enough to take a single barge making this a perfect traffic calming measure on a busy day, even if that was not the original intention. Huge granite blocks that form the pathway under the bridges worn smooth and undulating by a million passing feet of humans and horses, an arching wall to one side threatening to push you over into the canal as you duck your head and move ever closer to the waters edge as you pass by. Nature has helped to soften these monuments to long gone stone masons (who’s bones will not have outlived the legacy they left us) by painting the once starkley cut stone with lichen of various hues of grey and mustard yellows flecked here and there with a rusty red. Rain, wind and frost have taken away the sharpness and rounded the edges and joints of the stone into a more pleasing outline and in the Spring Mother nature will festoon the cracks and crevices with bright green ferns and colourful wild flowers that will project outwards and hang down like a garden centre display. If you are really lucky and to complete the scene, a nearby weeping Willow tree will hang its whip like branches to gently brush the water shattering a perfect reflection of itself and the bridge.

Autumn is fast approaching, all the signs are there, brambles with their plum red leaves and blood red tendrils guarding the berry harvest. The crop looks good this year and a few sunny days will ripen the glut of berries still to turn from a shiny red to a juicy black and spider webs amongst the brambles catch and hold the fairy wisp seeds of dying thistles. Annie trots on ahead, turning every now and again to make sure I am still there, then continues with her urgent sniffing of every post or clump of grass that we pass, whereas I am deep in thought and contemplating the world around me and what the year has given and taken away. My eye falls onto a small patch of Hare Bells growing in the sparse grass of a field margin and wakes me from my reverie, they look so fragile as they dance in the breeze on their all too delicate stems, each one a tiny ballerina dressed in powder blue.

Dog Roses that once looked so colourful and a sure sign of summer are now yellowing, their flowers long gone only to be replaced with the hips in all shades of orange through to a bright red. This natural bounty is not collected any more, but during the war years it was a vital source of vitamin C and the original ‘Rose Hip Syrup’ a task once taken on by the Women’s Institute I believe. Of more use today are the grape like bunches of Elder Berries, many are still green although some are well on their way to the bursting purple berries sought after by the makers of home brew wines. I always find a mental dilemma with this particular tree as in the Spring it looks verdant with bright green foliage and the fan like clusters of sweet smelling flowers wafting their heady scent on a Summers day, but as the Autumn approaches it drops many of its leaves or they turn yellow revealing that tough looking ridged bark and the hanging bunches of plump fruit like bloated sheep ticks. Then this tree looks depressing, dead and forlorn and seems more suited to a churchyard to be growing amongst old tombs and moss.

Another wine makers favourite is the Sloe Berry or more correctly the fruit of the Blackthorn tree, often used for wine making or more popularly for making Sloe Gin. I had not seen many early signs that there would be much of a crop this year so I was surprised to see some indications that I may have been wrong, those that I did see were quite large and there seems to be plenty of them on the bushes with large purple black berries the size of Damsons in some cases. Another sure sign of Autumn is the Fungi, I saw several varieties on our walk, some were the spreading ‘fairy ring’ kind and some were the very large woody looking ones. I am no expert on fungi so I steer well clear of gathering or eating them, with my luck I could be munching on a Death’s Cap or a Destroying Angel for all I know. I did see a large clump of what looked like ‘normal’ woodland mushrooms in a wood, but as they were untouched I assume they may not be what I supposed them to be. One thing I did notice was that the Holly bushes had lots of berries on them and although they are still green it is a far cry from last year when I hardly saw any at all, so maybe a sign of a hard Winter to come.

We walked for about 3 hours before turning back for home, but we were in no rush, occasionally I would stop and chat with a friendly ‘bargee’ usually after they gave Annie a fuss, many were moored up and enjoying the rare sunshine of the last few weeks. Even in our steady stroll and water stops for Annie, we had covered more than 6-1/2 miles by the time we got back to the car and we had been out for 4-1/2 hours, needless to say after her dinner Annie slept like a log and so did her dad. ;)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Grandad »

And I assume you had your poetic hat on Horus. You so vividly described your walk that I was there with you. :up
What more can I say except that I wish I had been. Thanks for that. :up
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Horus »

You would have been most welcome to accompany us Grandad. :) and to wax lyrical at the nature that surrounds us all. ;)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Definitely a descriptive description of a lovely walk :) and a lovely day :)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Kiya »

Like Grandad I was there with you & it came to mind you were doing a Michael Portillo program in his place, I can see you on your walk & reading from your pocket book describing everything to the world :)

Thank you I enjoyed our walk :)
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Re: Old superstitions

Post by Horus »

Thank you all, I shall now consider that Annie and I had some good company on our walk. :up
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