Oak trees are messy

Have just spent a long time moving oak leaves from the top of the driveway down to the bottom, so that the city guys with the big vacuum cleaner can take them away next week. I would be happier about this if our oak tree was a garry oak, but it's not, it's just a normal, messy oak. It does look pretty in the sunset, though:

And the birds love it.  Lots of action this evening.  Here's the robin:

I thought these guys were cedar waxwings, but now that I'm looking at the photos, I wonder if they are grosbeaks. I know, not too similar, but it's hard to see them properly through all the oak busyness.

And here is more of the sunset (and starlings?), through the neighbour's tree (cypress?):

Whoops, I missed October

It was a really beautiful month, with lots of colour and rich, rosy-golden sunsets through the garry oaks. I kept looking at things and thinking I should take this or that photo and post it.  Sadly, I did not capture the brilliant contrast of the spikey green rosemary against the red of one of the japanese maples in the back. Nor did I document the smoke bush, flaming. I did get this shot of the little maple by the pond, though:

And here is the one miniature cyclamen I have in the bed by the back porch:

I love these things, and there are old, rocky gardens in the neighbourhoods around us that are just littered with them.  I want mine to creep like that too, but I may just have to go out and buy a LOT and plant them.  They're much better value than the autumn crocus, since they don't flop, and they last for all of September and October and into November.

"Where did the autumn go?"