Celebrated another turning of the seasons this weekend. Autumn Equinox struck us as the perfect time to get outdoors, since we will soon be faced with the prospect of Winter and inevitably a lot more cold and inhospitable weather. So the kids, Helen and I packed up a grand afternoon tea of dip, crackers, cheese, fruits, iced fruit loaf and hot chocolate (fanciest cups only thanks) and set ourselves up on the lawn of the Buninyong Botanical Gardens.
Not a cloud was in the sky, so we sprawled out on blankets with pillows behind our heads, nibbling and nattering the hours away. There was even a spot of poetry reading, some Heaney, Yeats and Thomas to lie back and absorb. Seth turned out to have quite the penchant for reading poetry aloud, so we let him read out a little Sylvia Plath and a section of the anonymous but lovely Unquiet Grave then Zoe gave us a slice of T.S. Eliot to contemplate.
We walked the gardens and collected a rather large basket of chestnuts that we were over the moon about. We all envisaged gorging on hot buttered roasted chestnuts in the evening, but they turned out to be horse chestnuts; utterly unfit for eating unless you wish to shorten or even end your life, a little disappointing, but they are great for Autumn decorations and Easter baskets so not a complete loss.
We finished our stay off in the gardens with a spot of charcoal sketching on newsprint paper, not bad for first attempts I reckon. Perhaps it was our relaxed and uncluttered states of mind that helped there.
Came back to Enfield to enjoy an Autumnal dinner feast of homemade mushroom soup, root vegetable tart and rhubarb crumble, followed by a viewing of two Autumn favourites Sleepy Hollow and Rushmore.
I have always loved Autumn, it is so mellow and colourful and the balance of warm days and cool evenings are just blissful. Such a great time of the year, and a season to really make the most of. These bright, uncomplicated and simplistic days are the ones that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Not a cloud was in the sky, so we sprawled out on blankets with pillows behind our heads, nibbling and nattering the hours away. There was even a spot of poetry reading, some Heaney, Yeats and Thomas to lie back and absorb. Seth turned out to have quite the penchant for reading poetry aloud, so we let him read out a little Sylvia Plath and a section of the anonymous but lovely Unquiet Grave then Zoe gave us a slice of T.S. Eliot to contemplate.
We walked the gardens and collected a rather large basket of chestnuts that we were over the moon about. We all envisaged gorging on hot buttered roasted chestnuts in the evening, but they turned out to be horse chestnuts; utterly unfit for eating unless you wish to shorten or even end your life, a little disappointing, but they are great for Autumn decorations and Easter baskets so not a complete loss.
We finished our stay off in the gardens with a spot of charcoal sketching on newsprint paper, not bad for first attempts I reckon. Perhaps it was our relaxed and uncluttered states of mind that helped there.
Came back to Enfield to enjoy an Autumnal dinner feast of homemade mushroom soup, root vegetable tart and rhubarb crumble, followed by a viewing of two Autumn favourites Sleepy Hollow and Rushmore.
I have always loved Autumn, it is so mellow and colourful and the balance of warm days and cool evenings are just blissful. Such a great time of the year, and a season to really make the most of. These bright, uncomplicated and simplistic days are the ones that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life.
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Release Date: 1999
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 105 mins
Tim Burton waves his Gothic director's wand over this fantasy-horror. Loosely based on the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Burton cited the Hammer films of the 1960's as a major influence in making this film and the old school Gothic horror style really works well here.
It is 1799, and the deeply superstitious hamlet of Sleepy Hollow is being plagued by a series of gruesome murders where the victims are discovered decapitated. Police constable and forensic specialist Ichabod Crane arrives to investigate and soon realises that their murderer is not a man of flesh and blood, but rather an undead headless Hessian mercenary from the Revolutionary War riding upon a massive black steed and searching for his missing head!
There is also a lot more going on in Sleepy Hollow than the locals would like Ichabod to know, and the further he delves into his investigations the more disturbing the information becomes in this horror-mystery tale.
A massive ensemble cast including Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon and Christopher Lee bring all of the witchcraft and darkness of Sleepy Hollow to brilliant life. This is a charming adaptation of a classic tale and a true Burton beauty.
FINAL SAY: Don't lose your head!
3.5 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 1999
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 105 mins
Tim Burton waves his Gothic director's wand over this fantasy-horror. Loosely based on the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Burton cited the Hammer films of the 1960's as a major influence in making this film and the old school Gothic horror style really works well here.
It is 1799, and the deeply superstitious hamlet of Sleepy Hollow is being plagued by a series of gruesome murders where the victims are discovered decapitated. Police constable and forensic specialist Ichabod Crane arrives to investigate and soon realises that their murderer is not a man of flesh and blood, but rather an undead headless Hessian mercenary from the Revolutionary War riding upon a massive black steed and searching for his missing head!
There is also a lot more going on in Sleepy Hollow than the locals would like Ichabod to know, and the further he delves into his investigations the more disturbing the information becomes in this horror-mystery tale.
A massive ensemble cast including Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon and Christopher Lee bring all of the witchcraft and darkness of Sleepy Hollow to brilliant life. This is a charming adaptation of a classic tale and a true Burton beauty.
FINAL SAY: Don't lose your head!
3.5 Chili Peppers
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