Wednesday 19 November 2014

The Autumn Witch

I woke up this morning with a smug feeling. I had the morning off work.
The low-angled sun shone golden upon the bedroom window, showing clearly that windows needed cleaning. Clothes needed washing and my desk was sagging under the weight of papers that really should be filed away.



Nothing else for it. Pull on my boots and go out for a walk!



I'm not lazy, you understand. A lazy person would still be in bed. No, it's Autumn bewitching me once more. She comes every year to cast her spell but this year she sidled in so slowly and apologetically that I wondered if she'd appear at all.


But, as I crossed the little bridge that leads into the wood, I could feel the squish of fallen leaves beneath my feet and see a few golden leaves scudding along our tiny river, scarcely more than a stream or brook.

The wood is cared for by the community so that every villager has a place to wander. Some come to walk the dog, some come to sit on the bench in summer, some to watch birds and some to build campfires. But today, my ears told me, something different was taking place. 



Our wood is seldom silent; quite apart from birdsong and the wind in the branches, it is easily penetrated by the sounds of road traffic and the frequent trains between Cambridge and London. But this was something altogether more raucous.



"One, Two, Three, you can't catch me!" Aha! The class from the primary school are out on one of their nature walks.



I've often considered that the sound of children playing is rather like the music of the Highland bagpipes - wonderful to hear in the distance though rather overpowering in a confined space! At first I thought, like the woodland birds, I would flee to somewhere more tranquil. But this is, after all, a community wood so who could not be elated by the sound of the youngest generation of that community enjoying the environment in their own way?



When they had departed, and the robin had recommenced singing from the top of the hawthorn bush, I found that they left me an unexpected and rather wonderful gift....



The Autumn Witch!



Take care.










20 comments:

  1. A walk is the best choice this time of year. You show beautiful Autumn colours.

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  2. Hey, I'd but the chores on the back burner too! Lovely fall colors you've captured! I especially like the reflection shot. Kinda like a Monet painting.

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  3. Good for you - make the most of every beautiful, interesting moment.
    Nobody will remember you for how clean your windows were!

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  4. Love it! Anything that gets kids out in the woods today has got to be good! Nice pix too.

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  5. You are in a poetic mode here, and rightly so - the photos matched it perfectly!

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  6. Chores can wait for the woods would call me home :) marvelous photos and I laughed at the comparison between bagpipes and the noise of children.

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  7. Gorgeous images!

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  8. Stunning blue skies behind those beautiful autumn leaves. And the gift of that witch is pure magic.

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  9. Yes, I would have had a walk too! I adore the witch, as well as all your other beautiful photos. It looks to have been a whole lot nicer day there than it has been here all week.

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  10. What a neat autumn morning story -- walking a trail in your community's natural woods. Love, that Autumn Witch!

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  11. I would have ignored the housework and gone for the walk, too! It's lovely to see fall all over again in yr part of the world. Mine has been a snowy landscape for a couple weeks now.

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  12. I'm glad you choose to take a walk and share it with us.

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  13. Far nicer to be out walking than to be home washing windows John .... you would have missed all these treasures and we wouldn't have the joy of seeing your pics.

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  14. We just had snow so it was really nice to see your sunny yellow pictures.

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  15. I do love your autumn witch! The weather looks so warm and lovely. It has been cold here and there's snow on the ground, but the temperature is slightly above freezing at the moment so it actually feels quite nice outdoors.

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  16. What a lovely autumn walk ...with a splendid surprise!

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  17. Viva the colorful autumn ! Lovely photos and nice way to walk.

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  18. I really enjoyed this post!

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  19. Going for a walk. What a great idea John, you should do it more often.{:))

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