Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Canada. It was cold in Montreal, especially because I refuse to turn the heat on in the apartment so early in October–it actually seems warmer outside than in sometimes. C and I hemmed and hawed about whether or not we should bike to the Botanical Gardens (bikes are great, but are not a particularly warm way to get around, once the temperatures drop) and finally decided that it was a good idea. We were bundled up well, and I was really glad we went. I managed to gather some fresh ginkgo nuts that had dropped from the tree, and look forward to roasting them later. The Chinese garden has a really wonderful lantern display that runs from September 11th until November 1st this year, so there were beautiful multi-coloured lanterns everywhere in that part of the gardens. The lanterns are really nice this year–they are actually pretty as opposed to last year’s kind of pretty but kind of tacky display.
lotus pods and seeds in the Chinese garden
Though it was a bit cool to spend hours walking around, we were able to warm up periodically with tea and snacks or stop-ins to the various buildings around the gardens. We managed to stay happy and comfortable until dusk and then biked pretty fast for a lot of the trip home, which warmed us up considerably. The leaves are all in varying stages of colour-change or falling off, and the park has an understated beauty at this time of year that I love. Most of the flowers have finished blooming, and it is sad to think that soon we’ll have five months of winter to contend with in this part of world. That’s what I like about autumn, I think–awareness of the coming cold months forces one to really appreciate being able to spend long periods of time outside, reveling in the colour, smell, and swishing & crunching sound of leaves underfoot.
pink leaves and orange berries
a good sport
crabapples
The Japanese garden has a pond with koi (ornamental carp) that are fat and pretty, and I was happy to see them again before they are re-located until next summer. They would not make it through Montreal’s winter, so are housed elsewhere during the cold months.
The squirrels are at their cutest in autumn, as they eat like mad to fatten up for the winter. Their fur looks sleeker than usual, and they are in fine form–chasing each other around and away from the food.
I still think Nova Scotia’s red squirrels are cuter, though these gray squirrels can be very bold and funny.
a crabapple carpet
This shiny crabapple looked almost like a cherry, and I wanted to eat it. It was mealy and pretty tasteless–there is a reason that I only ever see them as jelly! We had a crabapple tree in our yard when I was a child, and they were more tart, and dark red inside. Definitely a different variety. C started minding the cold around this time, and we headed back to our bikes and for home.
As the sun went down the lanterns lit up, in preparation for the evening’s visitors. We’ll go again soon, before the season is over. If you’re in Montreal, you should too!
I hope all the Canadians out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Love,
Meg
Tags: autumn, botanical gardens, musings, Seasons
