Early and mid Autumn are always very beautiful times of the year, all be it we’re having our fair share of rainful in 2010.
But between the Showers we get a few sunny spells where the scenery around us tells us a story that Winter is on the way and Summer sunshine and heat are just a memory.

It’s a time of the year to keep your eyes open indeed. The harvesting of the vegetables with the exception of a few Squash and late Carrots is replaced with clearing up the dead plants and waiting for that one windy night which will start the leaf fall off.

The colours are remarkable, brickwork and anything tin gets that rustic look, the colours you sometimes refer more to fashions of the 1960’s when we all went around in pastel technicolour, long flowing dresses (not me of course!) and head scarves with absolutely no sense of taste whatsoever!

The Virginia Creeper

One special sight for me in the garden here is the Virginia Creeper. I took a couple of cuttings about six years ago from an old boy up the road and it’s now spread out into three different places and blending in the vista and atmosphere of Autumn.

It’s strange how something which is ‘spent’ can look so good, bit like some humans I guess – ageing well!! It’s something that no Artist could ever capture nor a Photographer conquer either, it has to be seen with your own eyes to appreciate what a wonderful thing the four seasons are.

This time of the year is a bit like tucking a child up for the night, everything you do in the garden has that sense of closing down for sleep, or certainly a rest. It’s not there aren’t jobs to do through Winter, I cut my grass all year round for instance, but like the child waking up the next day, you know the Beds you’re digging to leave for the frost to sort will turn around for new growth next year, you know the leaves you are clearing will make good Compost for next Spring.

Everything it seems has a purpose, the only downer is that I’d have liked to have appreciated all this about 40 years ago. Age brings on more and newer experiences and a lot of them are nice!

So we await the other ‘regulars’ of this time of the year, the clocks going back, the final fall and the Rayburn going at newer fuller stregth.

It doesn’t look like we’re going to get an Indian Summer. I think the only way to get one is to go there!

But I’ll settle for the occasional sunny spell between the rain and enjoy a walk round the garden and a venture down the Lane.

Soon the winter will be upon us and this will be yet another memory, but we have the same to look forward to next year God willing, but we must never wish time away!