O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
Robert Frost, October
We have experienced plenty of mild mornings this October, but also some wild winds. The leaves changed colour throughout the month but by the third week many had fallen. We had sunny days, wet days and a few very chilly days.
I had a relatively quiet month at home, though I was away for one night, meeting up with friends in Liverpool. I was there, as I already mentioned in my ‘Liverpool in black and white’ post, to meet up with some Virtual Tourist friends to help with planning for next May’s meeting there. We were kept quite busy checking some possible dinner venues and activities for the group. But there was also time to enjoy a few sights of the city.
I was also away at the very end of the month. So I’m scheduling this post before leaving on what is a ‘mystery trip’, booked by my husband to celebrate my 70th birthday! As I draft this, just two days before our departure, I still have no idea where I am going. But if I’m able to access wifi I’ll add a postscript* to let you all know where I ended up!
Meanwhile at home
Meanwhile at home there was the usual round of activities including U3A meetings and table tennis. There were two cinema visits (‘A House of Dynamite’ and ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’), meals out with friends and with my sister, exhibitions at the Photographers’ Gallery and walks in local parks. One highlight was winning two first prizes in the Ealing U3A annual photography competition (plus one commended)!



The squirrel photo won the ‘Seasons’ category; the man up a ladder in Manila won a category called ‘Technology’; and the shell was commended in ‘Holidays’
I also joined a new U3A group to learn about art history from the Victorians onwards, and went on an outing to London’s Supreme Court.
Technical notes
My Liverpool photos were mostly taken with my Panasonic Lumix compact camera, but a couple (the Chinese gate and the seagull) were taken with my phone. A couple of the Ealing park photos were also taken with that camera while the majority of the local ones again were with my phone. Most have been at least a little edited with Photoshop Elements and some more heavily edited with Nik Color Efex. The one monochrome shot was edited with Nik Silver Efex.
As always I am linking my selection to Ju-Lyn’s and Brian’s Changing Seasons challenge. Use the arrows to navigate the slideshow if you want to see all the images.
My feature photo was taken in Ealing
* Florence – lots of photos and info to follow in future posts!
50 Comments
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Annie Berger
A hearty congratulations on the big wins, Sarah! I hope you went out to celebrate.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 🙂 The photo wins were nice but I was more interested in celebrating my birthday!
Annie Berger
Am I wrong in thinking that your birthday is in August and that’s why you generally visit Paris then?!
Sarah Wilkie
No, my birthday is at the end of October and this year had a 0 on the end, which is why Chris surprised me with the trip to Florence, a city I’ve long wanted to visit 🙂 Our annual Paris trip coincides with our wedding anniversary in early September, as we spent most of our honeymoon there.
Annie Berger
Ph, my apologies for getting the festivities mixed up AND a belated Happy Birthday! Kudos to Chris for surprising you with a trip to Firenze – I’m impressed with his planning and thoughtfulness!
Sarah Wilkie
No worries Annie, and thank you for the birthday wishes 🙂 I’ve passed on your compliment to Chris too! You’re right, it was very thoughtful, and as the person who usually does all our travel planning these days, I was very impressed with all the arrangements he made, especially our accommodation 🙂
equinoxio21
70 now? (You’re such a kid!)
Many happy returns of that day…
(You hadn’t been to Florence?)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 I wish I felt more like a kid! No, we’ve been to lots of places in Italy but never Florence – it was always quite high on my list but not so much on Chris’s and we chose cities that both of us were keen to visit. That’s why Chris picked it for my birthday, as he’d always turned it down in the past!
equinoxio21
Good choice anyway. I love Florence. And hopefully around this date, there shouldn’t be too many people. 🤞🏻
Sarah Wilkie
Some sights were quieter than I would have expected, e.g. Bargello and the Palazzo Medici, but there were still crowds on the Ponte Vecchio and we had to queue for the Duomo. Where we stayed, near Santa Croce, was lovely – not too many tourists and still a local vibe too.
equinoxio21
Good. A long time ago, a friend of mine was “complaining” That his was wife was nagging him to buy a house in Florence. I told him he could afford it and that I would care for the house when he wasn’t there. 😉
Sarah Wilkie
I guess he didn’t listen to you OR his wife?!!
grandmisadventures
Great October collection. It is my favorite time of year 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Meg 🙂 Mine too – if only it weren’t followed by winter!
leightontravels
Ah, for me autumn is the very best season, though as a kid and teen I always thought summer was where it’s at. We have been making the most of the autumnal vibes here in Serbia with weekly hikes in Fruska Gora National Park, which is absolutely fabulous. I enjoyed looking through your gallery of London and Liverpool shots, especially the latter as Liverpool is my favourite English city. Your photo inside the Museum of Liverpool made me smile, it’s such a fantastic space, I was fortunate enough to catch the John and Yoko Double Fantasy Exhibition back in 2019. A special mention for the Piccadilly Tube Station sign reflected off the wet pavement, what an excellent capture. Congrats on your photography wins.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leighton 🙂 I’m pleased you like that Piccadilly Circus reflection! I’ll be back in Liverpool next May so hope to be able to revive some more memories of the city for you then. Glad yo hear you’re enjoying autumn over there too 🙂
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Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Florence – how lovely! we went for Christmas once back in the 1990s and loved it. Congratulations on the well-deserved wins and happy 70th birthday.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much. Florence has been wonderful (we leave today) – I’ve wanted to visit for ages, as Chris well knew, and it has definitely lived up to expectations!
ThingsHelenLoves
Congratulations on the wins. The squirrel is adorable, but the seagull is something else! Enjoy Florence.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Helen 😊 I couldn’t believe how long that seagull posed on my windowsill while I took my photos!
Anne Sandler
Congratulations on your 2 wins Sarah! The squirrel is adorable and the street scene of the wires is down right scary but great photojournalism!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anne, I’m really glad you liked them 😀
carabeinsplash
Congratulations on your TWO wins! That’s spectacular. PLUS an honorable mention? Wow! Your photos are always interesting though. I’m not surprised that people are awarding them. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much, that’s really kind 😊
I. J. Khanewala
Super! Congratulations. I would have given that more than a commendation.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😊 But you didn’t see the other entries! The standard was quite high, and I was happy to get firsts for two of my photos.
Easymalc
Another super gallery and a Happy belated Birthday Sarah
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you on both counts Malcolm ☺️
norasphotos4u
Beautiful opening photo!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nora 😀
restlessjo
Congrats, Sarah! Presume you’ve been to Florence before? It was on my list forever and I think it may well have been a 70th that took me there. No, it can’t have been because we went one February, but it didn’t matter because I loved the city. Expectations fully met. Enjoy! xx
Sarah Wilkie
No, we’ve not been to Florence before this. I’ve always fancied it but Chris was less keen so we always picked somewhere else in Italy! But for this surprise for me he wanted to pick somewhere he knew I’d wanted to go 😀 Fortunately now we’re here he’s enjoying it too!
restlessjo
There’s a lot to enjoy there! All Saints will be a National Holiday in Italy too? xx
Sarah Wilkie
I think so, yes, but hard to say as it’s a weekend
Teresa
Wow what a busy month and amazing gallery. I was about to say… it seems that I have seen those tangled wires in Manila and it was. And I see you are also a member now of U 3 A. Also congrats on winning 3 well deserved photography awards. Well done Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Teresa 😊 I’m glad you recognised the photo of Manila!
Rose
Congrats on your photo wins! And Happy 70th Birthday!! Hope you have a fantastic time on your mystery trip, can’t wait to see postcards and photos!! Loved your Chinatown photo, it stands out so brilliantly.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Rose 😊 I’m in Florence and having a wonderful time! We go home tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll be sharing lots over the coming weeks!
Susanne Swanson
Wonderful! I do love the squirrel, congratulations on your win! We celebrated my birthday in Hawaii this fall. (‘How terribly strange to be 70.’)
Enjoy your trip to Florence!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Susanne 😊 We’re really enjoying Florence!
Sue
Brilliant post, congrats on the wins and enjoy your mystery trip! What fun!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue 😊 We’re having a lovely few days in Florence!
Sue
Oh, ! I haven’t been to Florence since 1981….imagine it’s rather busier now! But as you’re saying you’re having a great time, that sounds very promising. Looking forward to seeing the images!
Sarah Wilkie
It’s busy in the obvious places but being so late in the season makes it relatively easy to escape the crowds 😀
Sue
yes, I’d rather thought that might be the case, so good to know.
margaret21
Well, as ever, a wonderful gallery Sarah, and congratulation on your wins. Very unsurprising wins in my opinion! I assume that Honour and Glory are the only prizes. Oddly, by choice of photo from this little lot is the quirky bust in Baron’s Court. We briefly lived in a flat there (top half of a house) when we first moved to London. That bust caused me to look up our old address, which for some reason I remember. It happens to be on the market, and the asking priced is just shy of £2000000!!! It was by no mean posh then … Enjoy your secret holiday …
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Margaret 😊 To my surprise I received not only ‘honour and glory’ but also M&S vouchers! London property prices have got ridiculous, I’m amazed at what our little house is worth (though nowhere near £2M!)
margaret21
Vouchers eh? Your club is very generous! And yes, London prices are indeed … ridiculous.