Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Encapsulating the Feel of Autumn

This post features some random shots taken in Cork (Corcaigh), city centre to encapsulate the feel of autumn - the energy, vibrance, nostalgia and smells.

A warm welcome to autumn from 'Best of Buds' *

 
Living wall ornament in rich ocher-red hues clinging on apartment exterior.
 
 
Gold flaunt from outside the apartment window.

Thick moss and curling leaf on balcony.



Holly leaves and red foliage in lieu of red berries
at entrance to apartment


Lilac-pink flowers of Buddleia aka Butterfly bush planted in the grounds of the apartment. I learned of its ID from a post by Rosemary Danielis


At the foyer of the appartment was this little charming box for snail-mails, increasingly an anachronism of this tech-savvy times.



Beds of impatiens provided much eye candy. Most of the pictures were taken from the car as we drove past.



Along the trail to city centre:


Unabashed wallflowers and vine

 
Titanic nostalgia

 
Majestic spires of a church pierced the skies.

 
Wavering shadows


 
Emerald, gold and garnet


  
 Green foliage and flowers provide splashes of colour.


 
Fallen leaves remind me of the song 'Autumn leaves' sung by Nat King Cole. I used to tinkle its tune (badly) during my salad days on the ivory keys.

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold ...

- composed by Joseph Kosma, lyrics from Jacques Prévert 
 


 
 Heralding autumn

 

Adding to Autumn's chill

 
Accents of autumn


 
An enigmatic smile, perhaps to warm autumn's chill.


What is left of the harvest for an autumn welcome



Feeding the seagulls

 
Pretty maids all in a row


A pair of seagulls merrily swirled around

 
Fallen leaves bobbing along the chilled waters of River Lee.

"Winter is coming" - deaf, blind and dumb to brace for winter
(taking a leaf from Game of Thrones).






These were hearty meals to appease healthy apetites stimulated from the invigorating walk and autumn chill.



 With full stomachs it was back to the warmth of hearth and home. The candle light quivered over the sofa making it look deliciously inviting.

Very soon it was post-prandial snooze time or perhaps more correctly described as been induced into a state of food coma.  Btw this is not me.


Note: * The yellow bench and witch decorations graced the exterior of a florist shop, 'Best of Buds'. This includes the first photo.

26 comments:

  1. Lovely pictures froom Cork! I hope you enjoyed your trip to Ireland.

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    1. Yes, particularly the food from M&S and some of the restaurants. I was not so keen on the shopping as I don't want any more bulky warm clothing. Most importantly the sale was not on. Actually I wanted to visit a garden centre but ... the plants were not suitable for tropical Malaysia.

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  2. Beautiful pictures of autumn colors, as you can see a successful trip

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    1. Other than Cork itself, trips to nearby Kinsale and Cobh were interestng too.

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  3. Fantastic pictures, I feel as if I have been out the whole day visiting Cork with you. The meal looks like the perfect antidote to the cold. Thank you for noticing and photographing so many of the things you noticed and drawing our attention to their beauty :)

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    1. Hi Rosemary, thanks for kind words as usual. I hope that I have correctly identified the Butterfly bush. Your lens have shown much beauty from autumn scenes too.

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    2. It is indeed a Butterfly Bush, great photo, the flower is in full bloom! Thanks for mentioning me, it was a surprise in reading your post, to suddenly see my name :)

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    3. I was intrigued amd suitably impressed by its flowers and wished I knew what it was so it was an 'eureka' moment when I saw its ID revealed in your post.

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  4. You have captured the feelings of Autumn so beautifully. Glad you had a good trip.

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  5. Hhehehe..'btw this is not me' mus be dedicate to me ya..heheeh...what a blunder i was...
    well all look so nice, the autumn energy... thanks for sharing..how's the temperature like during autumn?

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    1. Actually when I said that, I wasn't thinking of you in particular, but somehow this mistaken identity issue must have been stuck in my subconscious for me to come out with a disclaimer ;)

      It was comfortably cold. I wear what I normally wear when I go out in Malaysia, and addded a leather jacket. I even dispense with the scarf and gloves. However when the wind blows, its a different story altogether.

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  6. What a beautiful autumn series Stiletto. Great you had a wonderful trip.
    Have a wonderful day.

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    1. Hi Marijke, thanks for appreciating. I had a great trip and the weather was bright and sunny most of the time.

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  7. Thanks for the city tour!
    Simply gorgeous colors of autumn which I love so much.
    Guess you have enjoyed your stay there :)
    Great shots of the seagulls and the food (too).
    Feels like autumn too in KL with the daily dose of rain!!

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    1. I'm glad you like autumn as much as I do. However there was no downpour except for some intermittent light showers. In fact I think I brought along the Malaysian sunshine but the chill is still in the air, making it rather pleasant.

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  8. What a rich series of colorful autumn images! The three monkeys of deaf, blind, and dumb are well known in Japan, too. I really enjoyed this city tour.

    Yoko

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    1. Thank you Stardust. The origin of the three wise monkeys is not clear, but I do know that it is popular in both Chinese and Japanese cultures. Now in this borderless and seamless world, they are depicted everywhere. You are most welcome to come on board the tour.

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  9. Great post Stiletto! Looks like you had a wonderful journey in Cork/Ireland. Magnificent photos as always, and you are so eloquent with words. The holly leaves look very beautiful, and great shot of the mail box. Yummy looking food too! :)

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    1. Thanks Ngeun for your appreciation of the photos and captions, though I did blush a bit about the eloquence. I was rather bemused when I came across this tart-up postbox, so when nobody was watching I quickly plucked out my compact camera and sniped a shot.

      I noticed that you always comment about yummy food. Hope that you are not some starving artist :D

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  10. A lovely post Stiletto encapsulating the colours and atmosphere of November. Are you still in Ireland?

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    1. Thanks Rosemary. I've left for home about 11 days ago but will be back by Spring or latest by June.

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  11. I enjoyed your lovely, autumn post, Stiletto. Thanks for sharing your beautiful images!. :-)

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    1. Thanks Beth, I'm glad you enjoy my posts and much as I enjoy yours.

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  12. You must have studied in UK i guess, haha! Thanks also for this autumn shots, as my few foreign travels always coincide with spring, so my dream of walking barefoot on fallen leaves haven't yet materialized. I am looking for your place in Malaysia, but i guess Selangor is a big place. I stayed with my friend there near UKM and Putrajaya.

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    1. Just wonder at how you arrived at such a conclusion ;) I used to work at Putrajaya for 5 years and I live relatively close by.

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