Today is Bouquet Day

There are a lot of beginnings and endings in this post.  These are probably the last of the flowers/leaves from the garden. We've already had a frost and there really wasn't much to pick today so I doubt there will be anything left by next week.   You never know what I'll find though - I'm a good scrounger.

Today's bouquet is a collection of the last of this and the last of that.  I found the goldenrod growing in our window well and the warmth from the house had prolonged its season.  The nasturtium and the rudbeckia flowers were the very last ones growing in the garden.  There were only a handful of Japanese lanterns left and most had been damaged by the frost.  The amur maple and spirea leaves are almost completely red now and will be dropping from the bushes soon.  Only the rose hips will remain throughout the winter.

I had to use the fall runner again this week because it will only be appropriate for a short while longer and then we will be on to Christmas.

The other thing I'm running out of, apart from flowers, is daylight.  I hurried last night after work to pick the flowers and take some photos, but I had to retake most of them again today in the daylight. Which is a lovely segue to my notable first.  The last photo was taken with my camera on manual setting - tada!!!  I was playing around with the settings so I could let more light in (I can't wow you with any technical language) and it did really help.  I'm going to have to get my tripod out and try some more like that.

I'm curious to see if I can find any flowers in the garden next week or will I be buying them from the grocery store?

Do you have big plans for the weekend?  Are you dressing up and going to a Hallowe'en party?  I have smaller plans that involve visiting family and friends and no costume, which suits me fine.