Here in England the weather is turning autumnal. The crops in the fields around where I live
have been gathered in leaving the landscape open and bare but still there are
fields lush and green where sheep, born in the spring still live.
I like this time of the year, especially when the weather is
fine with bright open skies, sunlight brushing the tops of trees accentuating
the russets and browns, the colours that we associate with the coming of
winter. Evenings drawing in can be a comfort
too, snuggling around an open fire, the atmosphere soft with candlelight, the
essence of spice perfuming the air.
During the summer we discovered a source of pine cones. These make fine fuel for open fires, they burn
well giving off heat far longer than wood and sometimes they release a subtle
aroma of pine as they burn. Before using
the fire the chimney was swept, something I have not experienced for
years. I remember as a child standing in
the back yard with my brother and sister as the sweep swept the chimney, and oh
how we cheered the moment a puff of soot shot up into the air heralding the
arrival of his brush as it blossomed like a black flower from the pot on the
roof.
Happy days!
Last minute jobs fill my precious weekend, tasks in the
garden like pruning trees and bushes, avoiding spider’s webs heavy with dew or
things not so pleasant and last minute mowing of the lawns. Now
with the early onset of dusk, I am less inclined to sit outside and enjoy the
garden, so I spend more time in my study during the evenings working on my next
novel. Those who are waiting for the
next book will cheer no doubt, I have 65,000 words complete, so the book is
half way there. Give it a few
months and it will be complete so publication should be early next year.
Enjoy these autumn days because soon they will be gone and
winter will be upon us.
A sobering prospect indeed!
