Three islands and Summery Autumn

These September days holding onto Summer's warmth a bit. In the daytime anyway. Sunny walks and outdoor cups of tea, decorated with many colours now; dots of orange and red berries,  yellow leaf speckles underfoot, trees brushed with rust and gold. In the evening though, Autumn is at the door, the light retiring sooner and chill, smoky scents in the air.

Above: 
Three islands. One with an ancient ring fort edging a 100 metre high cliff, the one in the middle with the smallest population, and the smallest one with a lighthouse and a dolphin visitor. Boats instead of buses - stay on til the last stop!

September sunsets and supermoons

Reaching the coast in Dublin, just in time to see the super-full-harvest moon rise over the horizon line in the east.

Turning around to face west, the sky on fire.

September sunset dips behind the horizon so quickly. Impossible to catch the exact moment.

The view in that glass tower! East, west, north and south all at once. I wouldn't know where to look.

Sky fire, bleeding into the sea.

The scent of the sea. The scent of an Autumn night. Cooler air beginning to nip at fingers.

Light departing to let the earth be one with night.

More and more lights glimmering. Time to go home. After the first hot chocolate of the season to warm cold fingers.

Getting late earlier.

These days the evenings are getting late earlier. The light and the warmth becoming more precious. Breakfasts sitting outside becoming fewer - the dew and the shadows resting longer and reaching further.

Quieter evenings too. Birds saying goodnight and going to sleep in the darker trees earlier (maybe I should do the same). At least two layers of long sleeves for walks now. Imperceptibly, yellow and brown hints appearing on trees. Inaudibly too, but then a breeze and they are more rustle-y than a week ago.

Above: a lighthouse, a dolphin, and a landscape like a green patchwork blanket. Painting Aran Islands in June on an August afternoon in Dublin.

There are 100 islands in Roaringwater Bay

Packing a small rucksack for a weekend trip to the West. Maybe I should pack for Summer and for Winter?

Yesterday: a long, golden evening of Summer sounds. I put my head out my window to eavesdrop on the birds chirping - they sounded full of exciting news. The breeze was making the sunlight dance on the leaves and the leaves to sway on their branches. All around gentle Summer movement.

Today: grey clouds covering the blue sky. Hopefully they will fly away for the weekend and the sun will return for a visit.

A song to go sailing to.

There are 100 islands in Roaringwater Bay and the most southern lighthouse in Ireland.