There's Going to Be Wind And Rain

Big warnings on the Environment Canada site this a.m.  Remember when wind and heavy rain were just a part of fall?  "A low pressure system currently over Kentucky will be tracking northeastward towards Southern Ontario today. Periods of rain, in advance of the low, will begin over Southwestern Ontario this morning and gradually spread into Eastern Ontario this evening."  Be afraid, be very afraid.


We're expecting about 50mm (2") of rain coming along with the wind (90K-55mph).  Wonder how many of those raked leaves are going to stay where I put them yesterday.  Kevin went up on the roof to clean out the eaves so we'd be ready for the downpour.  We did a real quickstep down to the lake this a.m. to get our walk in before it all begins.  I think Bart thought we'd lost our minds.


Now that we've battened down the hatches, I'm going to spend the afternoon dealing with the largest bag of fresh cranberries I've ever seen in my life.  My friend Jane brought them back from the cranberry festival in Bala and when I asked how much I owed her, suggested that she'd like some muffins instead.  I'm thinking pumpkin/cranberry might be nice.  With the rest of the 2K bag, I'll make some cranberry sauce and the rest I'll freeze.  


So before it all blows away, here's a quick tour around my fall garden.  


The clematis seed heads are marvellous.  I look straight over this arch from my bedroom window.  I love the fact they're getting so fuzzy.

Perhaps, I've waited a bit too long to put my chairs to bed?  Just shows there hasn't been a lot of industry going on out here - too much time with my new computer.

Here's a close-up of the Heptacodium - if you click on it you can see the red/pink calyx feature.  When we first started to plant these Chinese woody plants, no one really knew how big they grew.  The whole idea was that they would max out at about 2-3 meters and the calyx would be visible to the eye.  At 4 meters off the ground, it hasn't worked out that way, but will report back later to show you what happens next.

Really pleased with this Dahlinova that I got from Loblaw.  Unlike some of the some of the old one-bloom potted Dahlias of years past this one really pulled its weight.  In fact Kevin has decided where he'd like to see it growing next year.  

You can see we really aren't anywhere near where we usually are for colour at this time of the year.  The bits of yellow are the Gymnocladus dioicus I grew from seed.  Finally after 5+ years it is up to my shoulder.

While many of the leaves are still attached, many of the beech trees are bare and I know where to find those leaves.....

With warmer weather the Texan native Ipomopsis rubra continues to put on a show.

We've had a few nights of 5C, which is normally fatal to basil.  This small leaf variety, (the bright green little bushes) again from Loblaw is a real trouper.  Sadly we'll have to yank up the banana for storage and start again next year for our quest for homegrown Daiquiri ingredients.

Here's the view of the lake this a.m.  It was so clear we could see the little tower at Niagara Falls.

Is this not the tidiest leaf collection service you've ever seen?

And a couple more shots of the lake for good measure.  You can see how the weather is starting to change.  Wish I could send you all the roar of the lake - it was magnificent.