The charm of Autumn

I’m arrested by the transition from Autumn into Winter which we now seem to be experiencing. With consecutive clear days there have been some stunningly moody skies. I have had to exit the studio for my mid-week excursion which took me through muddy woodland tracks and then steeply up on to downland at the site of the Worsley monument, which if you don’t know it provides views across the whole Island from East to West. It was a steep ascent, which put me in a seriously bad mood, but the exhilaration at the top soon put me right together with the simple pleasures of a picnic lunch. Last week provided a photo opportunity along the south coast to witness bracket fungus, in this case growing out of a decaying bench. I thought this image summed up something of Autumn, with fungi and ivy growth both at their best this time of year, both of which don’t shout about their presence but are nonetheless integral to any rural scene.

I got to Quarr Abbey this afternoon, which I alluded to earlier in the summer. I had hoped a residency might be possible, however that was not to be. All the same I can enjoy the peace and tranquility of this unique location and the light and shade of late afternoon, together with the chatter of jackdaws and the charm of the Glocester Old Spot Pigs snuffling about (eventual porkers!).