Season of Mists...

'Tis the season..misty mornings...not a sunrise in sight...but a walk in the mist is the answer...nothing makes the neighbourhood more exotic than a morning mist! It feels so much more like a foreign place..somewhere I am visiting..or would like to visit...It reminds me of movie scenes..and poems.. "the fog comes on little cat feet"  and evokes images like fog "curling around a lamppost". A solitary walk in the morning mist..another good way to start the day! 

Today was the start of winterizing the garden and E, my neighbour and gardener, spent the afternoon blowing leaves and storing all the garden furniture and decor..eventually he will empty the flower pots - neither of us could face throwing out annuals still in bloom...and when the autumn temperatures dip down even more, he will plant my bulbs...Where has E been all my life? heh heh... Winterizing the garden has never been this easy! 

Whilst E worked hard out there, I sat by the fire and read my current book  Mao's Last Dancer, a fascinating memoir by Li Cunxin. I agree totally with the Library Journal's critique ..." fascinating reading..unfolds with honesty, humour and a quiet dignity. This book has wide appeal for it concerns not only a dancer's coming-of-age in a turbulent time, but also individual strength, self- discovery and the triumph of the human spirit.." 

I am more than half way through it and already would recommend it..especially to Noreen, my friend whose passion is ballet...I would be surprised, though, if she has not already read it... it was published in 2003...I am very much a latecomer to the book! 

And a highlight of the day? The arrival of my newest book - again, I am late to the party..Shetland by Anne Cleeves... Why Shetland? Because of the TV series, and Fair Isle knitting, of course... and my friend Mary is going there on a knitting tour in June! I have wanted to go there for quite some time, so I am looking forward to hearing all about her trip and seeing her photos; for now, until I get there myself, I will experience Shetland vicariously through the book and her adventures!