Autumn definitely here

There are always arguments about when autumn really starts and in reality it is really variable depending where you live and what your expectations are. To me the signs of autumn are really in the surroundings with the leaves starting to fall in the car park, the chanterelles being spotted under the oak trees in the heronry and the huge abundance of brambles weighing down the bushes on the path from Arnotts house down to the beach.

 I did for one moment last week begin to think we were going to move straight from summer- or so it was called- to winter as the bramble bushes seemed devoid of berries and those trying to ripen simply seemed to be shriveling and dying before changing colour and there was no sign of fungi in the shelter of the trees. Chay was certainly hoping so as it would have avoided his 4 week battle with the leaf collector.

But in reality nature is a clever beast and a few days without rain has seen the image transformed with the Autumn garden now bearing fruit and the foragers hard at work- that includes Dibley my dog who returned home after a walk yesterday with a very purple mouth and tongue giving evidence of his bramble consumption!! Hopefully je picked his own and did not simply steal from my bucket!