Day 274: Changing of the Leaves & Happy Giveaway Drawing

Today we went on a bicycling adventure to Djurgården, one of the beautiful parks in the middle of Stockholm, to see the changing of the leaves. Yes, it has begun here already, believe it or not, and I wanted to capture the beginning stage when all of the trees appear as if they have caught on fire on top. The rest of the tree's leaves are still green but there is a bright patch at the top that is burning and aflame. It is absolutely gorgeous and it is probably my favorite time of year. The leaves I especially love are the maples with their deep, rich, red, orange and yellow-tones. They are so festive and beautiful and the fact that the leaves turn these vibrant colors right before the trees go to sleep for the winter makes me especially happy. Reds and oranges are my favorite colors so it's no wonder that I love this time of year so much. 

Earlier in the day it was gray and cloudy but then just around lunch time big patches of sunshine started shining through. We started talking about heading out right about then but by the time we were on our bikes it was becoming cloudy again. We were not deterred however and continued on our way, enjoying the lovely fall day. When we arrived fifteen minutes later we found that we were not the only ones with the idea to head to Djurgården. There were families, couples, individuals and even people with wheel chairs or walking canes out and about, deep into the park. That is something I really love about this city. Firstly, the fact that there is access to such beautiful parks in the middle of the city and secondly, the fact that everyone utilizes them. It really is wonderful to see so many people out enjoying nature. 

We started taking photos right away, even though it was grey and cloudy and the photos were not showing how vibrant the leaves really were. We figured we could edit them once we'd loaded them onto the computer at home. Then something magical happened. The sun decided to come out! Oh happy day! It was amazing to see the transformation and how much more beautiful everything looked with the sun shining and a blue sky backdrop. Suddenly everything had come to life. We even had more bounce in our ride, if there is such a thing. 

What is your favorite time of year? Leave me a comment below and tell me if you have a special ritual for celebrate your favorite season. A Random Commenter will be entered into a drawing for a Happy Giveaway in celebration of today being my three-quarters-of-the-way marker to my one year goal of Finding Happy in 365 days. I can't believe it has already been three-quarters of a year. I guess time flies when you are having fun and finding happy. Thank you again for all of your support along my journey thus far. I hope to see you all on day 365 as well (though it may be day 366 since it is leap year this year!). There will be a special Happy Giveaway to celebrate my completion then. 

The cut off for entering today will be tonight at midnight. Central Standard Time in the US and seven a.m. in Sweden (tomorrow). Good luck and happy commenting!

Here are some photos from our lovely day....

At Djurgården... making our way to the leaves...

Under every tree that was aflame you could find hundreds of these beauties... 

some came home with us ;-).

A pretty yellow tree.

Here comes the sun!

Look at those vibrant colors... gorgeous! 

 Back at the yellow tree... you can really see the difference here with the sun shining and the blue sky...

 A fun harvest wreath near the cafe and boutique at Rosenlund's Trädgården on Djurgården.

Behind the cafe we came across Rosenlund's beautiful gardens. Just look at that savoy cabbage!

 And then there's this cutie... I couldn't resist snapping this shot!

Thank you again for stopping by! And don't forget to leave a comment below to be entered into the drawing for the Happy Giveaway.