Hello September!

Name me a parent in the land who does not welcome September with joy in their hearts! The children have returned to school and at last we can clean the house properly without having to hoover in between teenagers legs. I can see their bedroom carpets for the first time in over a month and am not to be hounded with requests for food until they return at the end of the day.  In effect I've got my freedom back. I now have the chance to catch up on some blogging, and time to appreciate the wonderful colours that abound at this time of year. If September had it's own special colour it would be the hue of a Victoria plum, and without doubt the plant of the month has to be the sedum. Beloved of our insect friends it also blends beautifully with the asters as they emerge, and lasts until the first frosts ice the flowers like lacy mop caps. The work in the garden gets more interesting again with harvesting and seed gathering, and gradually the mowing slows down and the hoeing takes a back seat for another year. I like autumn only second to spring!
"The breezes taste of apple peel.
The air is full of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs, burning brush
New books, erasers, chalk and such.
The bee his hive well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean with suds,
The days are polished with morning haze"
John Updike September