The moon is appearing a little bit brighter each night as we move towards the harvest moon.

This is a time of change around the homestead. The landscape is changing colour and for us this is a time of busy work. That frosty nip that lingers in the morning air is a sign that we need to get busy like squirrels and prepare for winter.

I have been in the kitchen a lot this past week with my head down. The house is a disaster but the shelves in the pantry are filling up nicely. I am getting a bit fed up with being stuck inside though. I decided to take a break and wander around the property with my camera.

Our place is quite wild and natural. I never really know what to expect. There are always flowers in bloom and interesting things happening around us. I can't claim or take credit for any of this. I have my own gardens and projects but so much of what is here is wild and untamed. I could study this land for my lifetime and still be surprise by it.

We protect 90 acres of land, almost all of it forest.

The small bit that was cleared (3-4 acres I think) has mostly been re-planted with coniferous trees. Each year I marvel at how much taller these young trees have grown. Soon the house will be hidden in the woods completely.

Old apple trees grow wild all over the place along the edges of the woods and even deep within them. Old homesteads have long since been swallowed back up by forests. It's quite humbling really.

We'll sometimes find small tell-tale signs of old homes, rock piles, the occasional tin or bottle or an old orchard but for the most part the forest has erased all traces that man was ever there.

This is one of the big highlights of early October for me. I love hunting for apple trees and gathering apples. We'll make so much food for winter with these FREE and gorgeous gems.

I could hardly believe it when we learned we have burdock growing wild around here. This lovely plant is growing in front of our living room window. I've watched bees and bugs dance around it all summer.

This little burdock plant got a late start. I'm sure we'll see it again in the spring though. I am working on a plan to grow burdock in a soil where it will be easier to cultivate the roots. Digging them out of hard packed ground is such a task!

The colours turned so quickly this year. It won't be long before the leaves are all falling.

Different varieties of aster are scattered everywhere in lilac and white.

Thistle

Birds-foot trefoil is a European species that is now naturalized in waste areas throughout New Brunswick. It seems as though a lot of the wild flowers here are introduced from European settlers.

We are also busy gathering fallen wood for firewood. Upon inspection one are of the woods has a lot of new fallen trees so we'll be busy for quite a while with this job.

Damp and humidity means we've got a lot of mushrooms, fungus and rot, all of it fascinating.

The forestry guys still lurk in the woods. I hate seeing these bands on the trees - it just makes me sad but we have accepted that we cannot do anything at all about what happens beyond these markers.

This is along the driveway. We really don't bother with taming things. Look at all those ferns! I quite like how nature does the landscaping without involving me.

We truly appreciate where we live and express our gratitude every day. I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our quiet world.

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