Ah, November. The month I dislike the most. With the changing of the clocks the days become shorter with sun sets around 16:30 by the end of the month. I keep on thinking that it won’t be long until the shortest day and then the light will last just that bit longer each day. Bird food has been hung out and the garden is full of the little birds that seem to hide in the summer.
On 12 November I decided to pop over to Godrevy and have lunch in the little café there before having a walk on the beach at low tide. The sun was shining although it was a little windy and cool, but I was looking forward to the walk. However, in the space of 15 minutes the weather changed and big black clouds came swiftly in from the south bringing fat raindrops. I managed to get a couple of photos before deciding to give the walk a miss and head home. Ahead of me rain. Behind me rainbows. And on arriving home the sky turned an incredible orange beneath black clouds accompanied by thunder and lightning!
On Wednesday 21st I was woken by a noise at 05:30 and on getting up to investigate I noticed that a waxing gibbous moon was setting. I watched as the plump yellow disc, like a round of cheese, slipped below the hill. No photo I’m afraid. My camera is not that good! Later I awoke to find frost on the ground.
This month I decided to wander down to the woodland which is about a mile from where I live. I normally find it quite gloomy and there are no nice paths to tread. But I wanted to see if I could capture some of the turning leaves before they were all blown away.
On the way I managed to find a few bits and pieces in the hedgerow including Betony, lots of nettles, Red Campion, bramble flowers, ferns, Navelwort and several umbellifers including flowering wild carrot.
The woodland was carpeted in brown leaves from the oaks and beech trees and reasonably dry, much to my surprise after all the rain. Bark textures, copper and gold leaves, bare tree limbs and colourful lichens caught my eye. My favourite part of winter is seeing the bare trees, the structure of the limbs, the colours of the bark.
The sky was darkening and approaching from across the sea so time to head home. But one last look at Old Man’s beard or Traveller’s joy (Clematis vitalba) whose fluffy seed heads scramble over bare branches like garlands of natural fairy lights.
The Changing Seasons | November
Cornwall in Colours 
Your least favourite month and yet you found all this beauty! January is my least favourite, by February I can begin to convince myself the spring is near. There were three Jays in the front garden this morning, seen them before in the cemetery half a mile away but never here. Hope your foot is better, I’ve got a bad back today 😦
Getting older sucks! I have only ever seen a Jay from afar.
Getter old is better then the alternative honey. The , I first saw a jay in woods on the edge of the moor. When I first saw one in the cemetery I didn’t believe my eyes but I’ve seen them several times since and chatted with other people who’ve seen them too.
I dislike November.even though it does not get dark here until 17.30. I don’t like being cooped up inside. You’ve taken some amazing photos. I particularly liked
the big tree. Not sure what it it’s called but it’s the sort of tree that is included in fairytales
I think that is one of the main problems, being indoors. I get cabin fever after a while! But I hate being outdoors in the wet too 😦
Well done in finding the beauty in November a walk through your woods is magical at this time of the year and you have captured that mystical feeling. I think I would find November in UK a bit depressing with the short days and cold and wet too. November over here is usually bearable before summer really sets in, but this year it was ok till the middle of the month, then Armageddon started for the poor people in the fire zones, and it still is not under control
Fires are awful. That’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.
It’s funny how our feelings about times of the year are dependent on our activities. Here November is full of anticipation – summer on the doorstep, long school holidays just weeks away and the gardens in full bloom. You’ve still managed to find beauty in nature, Jude!
Yes. November in the southern hemisphere is totally different. For us it was birthday celebrations in the sun with a braai!
Hi Jude. You know, for some reason I prefer your wintery photos. They are so moody. That sunset made me look again. Gorse is an absolute curse here. Is it the same there? You have a great eye. Sorry I visit only sporadically.
Thanks for the visit Mick – nice to see you 🙂 And I’m glad you enjoy the photos.
Hopefully December is proving to a bit more cheerful with the addition of Christmas trees and lights 🙂 My dad said that they were expecting snow in Yorkshire yesterday and even worse freezing rain (never quite understood the difference but it must be to do with the temperature in the atmosphere). He was due to go out last night but planning to stay in if the snow and rain eventuated, which I told him was a very good idea! Hope it’s not so cold down with you!
We travelled back to Cornwall yesterday in the most horrendous weather, rain so heavy and spray on the motorway so you could barely see the road! If we’d been going north it would have been even worse! Snow and the freezing rain you mention which makes all surfaces like a skating rink.
Glad you got home safely Jude! Hope you are indoors all rugged up today!