In Praise Of November

Do you know that slightly gloomy 19th C poem by Thomas Hood about November? It's one of those poems that I think I can remember quite well, but when I come to look it up, I find I haven't remembered it accurately at all. Some bits I've left out completely and I've added various lines that weren't in the original! So, for example, I was sure there was a line that went "No wind - no rain" but there isn't. The poem goes as follows

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
no dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day -
no sky - no earthly view -
no distance looking blue -
no road - no street - no "t'other side the way" -
no end to any Row -
no indications where the Crescents go -
no top to any steeple -
no recognitions of familiar people -
no courtesies for showing 'em -
no knowing 'em! -
no travelling at all - no locomotion,
no inkling of the way - no notion -
"no go" - by land or ocean -
no mail - no post -
no news from any foreign coast -
no Park - no Ring - no afternoon gentility -
no company - no nobility -
no warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
no comfortable feel in any member -
no shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, -
November!

An awful lot of "noes", but nothing about no wind and rain.  Hardly surprising, of course, as there's usually a fair bit of wind and rain in November.

Anyway, having looked the poem up, it seemed to me even more nihilistic than I remembered.  And I thought, actually, despite the wind and rain and a rather manic work schedule, this November so far has been rather lovely, so here is a little "apologia novembris", mostly in pics. A kind of antidote to any nihilistic November leanings, should they creep up on me unexpectedly. They make me feel that, yes, this month has had quite a bit of cheerfulness and "healthful ease" and I rather like its shade, its shine, its fruit, flowers and leaves.

The shine of clear morning light on the water of a mill stream 

"Distance looking blue" behind medlars ready for picking and bletting*
*the process by which medlars ripen almost to rotting before they are deemed best to eat

Lime-gold leaves fluttering in a shaft of sun

Early morning mist smudging sky and "earthly view" softly together

A full, glowing moon windowed in evening clouds

Birthday cake brownies for "familiar people"

Lacy light and shade from a St Martin's Day lantern
(pattern here)

Martinmas horseshoes - snow-dusted with sugar,  shared in "company" for the first day of winter

Knitting needles and yarn; beads and bright threads ...

... cheerfulness and preparations for Christmas

Soup the colour of fog - "healthful ease"  in a bowl

The warmth and "comfortable feel" of a log fire ...

... and candles on a dark November evening.

Many more positives than negatives, I feel, Mr Hood.

Wishing you all a happy November weekend!

E x