Autumn says good bye

It has been a while since putting anything on here and the summer of which I last spoke has mellowed into autumn; which itself is derobing into winter with every gust.

The misty mornings came first, with the sun trundling further south across the sky making each day a little different to the last.

Then leaves started to speckle the grass tracks as they hinted yellow.  

Autumn was actually quite late this year so even at the start of November, the scene was full of leaf and bird-song.

The chickens stopped laying eggs - they still eat plenty though!

It wasn't long before the mists started hanging around longer into the day.  It makes the woodland look romantic and soft.

And, of course, it is now the time of the fungi.

It takes me so long between posts that I am sure winter will soon melt into spring.  I hope you all have a good warm winter free of troubles and chills.

Warm start to August

Sorry, does this sound like complaining?  Well it is not.  Happy to have warm weather; getting up to the sun, window open, wearing light clothes; it is more than welcome.

It is surprising to find a lot of these little froggies hopping around the wood considering the temperatures.  I would have thought they would seek out water in the lake, but then again it is full of hungry fish, so maybe it is better to risk the woodland bird population instead.

Just to show you how small they are, here is one in my hand.

Does anyone know what these are called?  It must be an adult and therefore not the ubiquitous common frog.

The Caravan Club paddock is well-booked

A tractor in the north field has been making hay.  As the day cooled into evening the air was filled with the smell of drying grass.

Tried to take a picture of the carp jumping, but was too slow so all we have are rings of bright water.

It doesn't get much better than this.

Walk through Bradford-on-Avon

Well, just a short one really as I dropped my daughter off at work.  Putting aside half an hour, I walked along Barton Farm over the bridge and toward the canal.

One of my favourite past-times is walking along this stretch of the Kennet & Avon.  There is something very restful about gentle exercise and being near water.

Still, we have small fishing lake here at Farleigh Wood and it was no surprise to see some people sitting on the bank enjoying the sunshine when I got back home.

There is no doubt, there are some beautiful fish and they all seem to be biting now!

A beautiful carp

Saw this happy chap up at the lake yesterday, just in time to snap the carp he had caught.  Not seeing the forecast,any of the fishermen were dressed in long trousers but ended up sat in a sunny bank.  They weren't moaning!  

Fabulous Farleigh Wood: Good day for fish

Fabulous Farleigh Wood: Good day for fish: "Glowing teasels. Tess, our elderly dog still makes it round After taking a sunny walk along the top of the wood I chatted to this g..."

Good day for fish

Glowing teasels.

Tess, our elderly dog still makes it round

After taking a sunny walk along the top of the wood I chatted to this guy and his brother at the lake.  Sat in the sun, catching many fish, with one eye on the large carp mooching in the weeds, they were both sorted for the day.  Perfect!

Great Chalfield Manor

I used to cycle this way as a child, sandwiches and water stowed away in the tartan stow-away over my back wheel, to paddle in the nearby brook.  Strangely, I had never actually been into the grounds or the main building of this mansion, so it was great to actually see the place properly last week.

Local art group

Built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, this place was once left to ruin as a local farmer who had bought the estate simply wanted the land, not the building.  

Mind you, it must take some keeping up; the gardens are wonderful.

I was lucky enough to be invited in the house, tours are taken every hour and are constructed around the main part of the building; the other part still being inhabited by the family.

Despite all the media talk of living in lawless times, it seems we have never had it so good!  Certainly Elizabethan times were not a safe time to be around.  I don't know of a bed which id made with a hole in the top for valuables so thieves have to climb over a sleeper today!

Special doors, peep-holes and listening masks feature heavily in this building.  Great to see now, but not so good if they must be used.

For me, the finishing touch was the pretty church and this fabulous window.  It really sums the place up.  Magic.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-greatchalfieldmanor

The happiness flower

How wonderful to see these joyful little flowers in the woodland once more.

St. John’s Wort is not just a pretty flower; it also has anti-depressant qualities and is often sold as a supplement for those feeling blue.  Also an expectorant, diuretic, and sedative, is there no end to this flower’s power?

Culpepper’s Herbal state ‘A tincture of the flowers in a spirit of wine, is commended against the melancholy and madness’!

I think just looking at the delicate yellow starry flowers are enough to lift the spirits.

Avebury

Avebury is a great place to visit not more than 25 minute's drive from Farleigh Wood.

In my humble opinion, it beats it's famous sister, Stone Henge, simply as it is more accessible, has more to see and walk round, and has a village plonked right in the middle!  (I know, it wouldn't be allowed nowadays).

What could be more English?

Assuming the weather is good, of course.