Surprising Finds

Surprising Finds

Today I had to walk to town as there was no car available. So I set off determined to take a real interest in everything I passed. The park was looking lovely, the trees beginning to turn to gold and yellow, and long stripy shadows stretching across the grass. Just past the railway bridge, on the other side of the road is a narrow river fringed with reeds and rushes, another park and a large expanse of rough ground, and on this rough ground several chestnut-coloured ponies were grazing in the Autumn sunshine, their tawny coats a striking contrast to the rich green grass. What a lovely surprise! So rural and halfway to the centre of town. I'd always missed this as it can't be seen when driving a car! Perhaps I should walk more often.

Autumn Evenings

Autumn Evenings 

The sky in the evening can be stunning! After a lovely sunny day, the sun sinks down behind the clouds setting them ablaze with fierce glowing flames of red and crimson. Sometimes the colours are more gentle,soft pinks and violets, smokey greys and lavender.

Autumn Skies

Autumn Skies

I love big skies! In the Autumn the 'blue' seems to be bluer and more vibrant. The white clouds are brighter! The sky provides the perfect backdrop to the golden Autumn trees.

Colourful toadstools

Colourful Toadstools

A few days ago we were walking in the nearby nature 

reserve and we found this lovely specimen.

It's an Inkcap toadstool. I had to look it up because I'd 

never seen one before. Apparently the underside becomes very dribbly when it's mature,

 and it looks like old-fashioned ink dripping down. A bit sinister! These other s are much more colourful. The orange one might be called Velvet Shank and the white ones Clouded Agaric. Nice names, but I wouldn't eat them!

Autumn sights

Autumn Sights

At this time of year the Sedum comes into its own with its lovely pink flower heads.

And lurking between the shrubs and all this flowery beauty hangs the garden spider waiting for a hapless fly.

Introduction to my small garden

Introduction to my small garden

Even though I have a very small garden, one half started life as a concrete yard, I am amazed at the variety of life I have found in it. And of course it varies with the seasons.

Autumn is here and the berries on the pyracantha are turning a brilliant orangy-yellow. I know the blackbirds are going to really enjoy these later in the winter. The honeysuckle too has produced some succulent berries and my tiny apple tree is laden even though I took off quite a few of the smaller apples.