Monday 23 September 2019

Monday 23.9.2019

Autumn equinox. The weatherman just announced rather dolefully that "the sun has now sunk into the southern hemisphere". There was no sign of it first thing this morning - dreich (wonderfully descriptive word) but mild. We were shrouded in cloud which made yesterday`s trip up Oxen Craig seem timely although in fact by the time we got to the top the cloud had blown in on a brisk wind and the sun was already fading away.







It was completely different in the surrounding woodland, remarkably peaceful and mild and still very green.







We sauntered rather than strode, going at old-dog`s pace (although I noticed she came down the hill at a brisker trot) but that meant more pauses to take in the view that was available before we got up into the cloud.







Back down in the woods, watched over by the trees,







and with old-dog pausing to sniff every blade of grass the thought came that walking-a-bit-more slowly does no harm every now and again.

(And have just noticed the cloud`s cleared and the sun has made it. Reassuring. Maybe beat the bounds later.)


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Thursday 19 September 2019

Thursday 19.09.2019

The other kind of autumn day shaping up this morning. Beat the bounds again, every single blade of grass glittering in the early morning sunlight, the gorse bushes so covered in sparkling spiders` webs they looked from a distance as if they`d gone pale grey overnight. Two or three more days of this forecast, not, apparently, an "Indian summer", according to the weatherman. That only applies in October. Whatever, will enjoy it while we can.



And indeed, prefer these more modest temperatures to that over-the-top heat we had at the end of Festival season down south in August. Too hot to move, the very last day was spent under a tree,waiting for it to cool down enough to set off on the long journey north. All three festivals (Boomtown, Beautiful Days and Shambala) the usual mix of the weird, the wonderful and the quirky,





good music, bonhomie and above all - fun!


Also, adventures involving vans, getting lost quite often - not to say stranded - moonlit walks at midnight along dual carriageways, more time than ever intended in Winchester and a five year old`s birthday. Love these summers. :)

Wednesday 18 September 2019

Wednesday 18.09.2019

P.S. Just beat the bounds for half an hour in the mist and mizzle, the latter so light the raincoat was redundant. The spider`s webs that have appeared everywhere (also a sign of autumn) are decorated with diamonds from the damp air which is so still the sound of gentle dripping from the trees made for the perfect accompaniment to the ethereal atmosphere.

Wednesday 18.09.2019

In many ways these last couple of days have been one of my favourite kind of autumn days. Not the jewel-coloured leaves shimmering in a still-warm sun, nor the last of the swallows and martins circling round, nor the busy combining and baling of golden straw, going on late into the night under a harvest moon, lovely as all those things are.

By contrast, these days of perfectly still air, misty, cool and grey, mizzling,not yet winter cold although inviting a morning fire to be lit anyway, the damp air enhancing the autumnal fragrances of the land tip-toeing towards winter. Makes you want to light a bonfire, where you still can, a time honoured autumn tradition.

And meanwhile the summer and its adventures recede ever more quickly into the distant past.
In July there was a long weekend in Dublin: a revelation in many ways, not least the way the history of the country came at us from practically every wall and building
and made us realise how ignorant we were. Not taught in our history lessons anyway.




The Spire of Dublin, the anticipated pubs, the unanticipated (by me) nature reserve and walk along the beach, the little reminders that you weren`t in the UK,



the awesome Trinity College library, the thought provoking National Museum (especially the Alison Lowry exhibition about the Magdalene Sisters which runs until May 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xecqNvY3Cs), a train ride (that crossed a border without any drama - just saying) and two ferry journeys, the one from Belfast to Cairnryan done on a beautiful sunny day which meant we could do the whole trip on deck. The only way to travel.








And then came August........






Sunday 15 September 2019

Sunday 15.09.2019

Checking back in after a summer of gadding and gallivanting and adventures. Last few days quintessentially autumn: gaggles of geese, swirls of starlings, mushrooms everywhere










and fields full of fat, round straw chequers.

Breezy, not to say windy, cool and grey one minute, still warm sun the next and just the suggestion of leaves on the turn in the woods.

Tales of derring-do and festivals to follow.
Meanwhile reading Katherine Rundell`s latest children`s novel, The Good Thieves and Salman Rushdie`s Quichotte. Both writers are master story tellers in their own way.