At last, autumn has arrived!
After the yearly disappointment that is Summer. All those BBQ and swimwear adverts that appear on the television in August are part of a conspiracy to make British people think they have hot, sunny summers - we don't. We live in the Northern hemisphere and we cannot expect to:
1. Sit outside in the evening (unless wearing a sleeping bag).
2. Lay on a deck chair wearing nothing but a thin, gossamer like, sarong.
3. Have more than 2 BBQ's a year.
4. Need more than 1 pair of shorts in the wardrobe.
We need to embrace what is THE most beautiful time of year in the UK (apart from Spring) - Autumn...
Eerie mist, sumptuous coloured trees, spooky fog, golden light.... We just have to feel sorry for those poor, poor people who live in all year round warmth, like the Canary Islands, who don't ever get the chance to sport a natty tweed hat, wear a (rather itchy, but I love it) Shetland wool waistcoat, pull on some soft Fair-isle socks or snuggly fur lined boots and swing their fuzzy carpet bag over their shoulder like I do. Awful.
Well last month, I have been mostly:-
Attending a 'Come & Sing' put on by the Salisbury Musical Society in the Cathedral. We sang Faure's Requiem (my favourite), Handel's Halleluyah Chorus (not my favourite) and Parry's 'I was Glad' (another favourite which tends to make me come over all unnecessary when I sing it).
As usual, we sat right at the front - why do people always leave the front empty? Fools! I got to sit, totally oblivious to the 500 plus singers behind me, and gaze at the majestic architecture in the dimming light and just float away as the organist played Widor's Toccata on the Cathedral organ - phwor!
We saw a light installation as part of the Magna Carta 800th anniversary celebrations too. It was called 'Enlightenment' by a group of artists called 'Squidsoup' and was made up of 6000 points of light hanging from below the north porch ceiling.
'Enlightenment'
A dark and spooky Salisbury Cathedral
We've walked
And gardened
I finally remembered to look for the special beech tree on the walk we call 'the circuit' that my neighbour once mentioned. And I managed to find it! It has some 100 year old graffiti on it marking the sinking of the 'RMS Lusitania'. 1191 lives were lost. I wonder if someone in the village was one of those on board?
'Lusitania sunk by Germans May 7 1915'
We've seen that the deserted farm buildings near us are being turned in to houses - they had to provide new homes for the owls and bats too!
Owl house on the roof and bat box on the wall
I've seen quite a few barn owls and deer on my solitary dog walks.
Ears....
We've seen some beautiful sunsets
Big Dog and I have enjoyed the cold, misty mornings
I've enjoyed reading in my chair - once I've removed the scary cat.
I've collected conkers to keep the spiders away in the house
We've started looking for fungi up in Grovely woods - yipeeeeee....
On our walk in Grovely this weekend we stumbled upon a ploughing competition
The horses have been watching us gardening
Kissy kissy
I wish they wouldn't eat our fence!
or the flowers!
We also tried a new walk this weekend. Big Dog couldn't move afterwards!
Barnett Down and Knapp Down lay to the left and Hydon Hill to the right.
Barnett Down and Knapp Down are SSSI's and Hydon Hill is a County Wildlife Site. Apparently this area is botanically rich chalk grassland and supports a grassland community that is rare in Britain. Wiltshire has 70% of the semi-natural grassland remaining in the country!
I know where I'm going - honestly.
Don't know what this flag means.
I'm in the mood for change. I want to clear away the cobwebs, pare down, simplify...... A new autumn season requires new walks, new soup recipes, bread (hint, hint fellow Bungalow Girl), liquid refreshment (had red wine in a pub at the weekend instead of beer - what?!), new ideas - very exciting.
The rain may have settled in now but 'Downton Abbey's' gorgeousness more than makes up for the gloom and my brogues are polished for 'Strictly' - off I go. Cha cha cha.....
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