Starting to feel like autumn

The end-of-August Bank Holiday is here, families are getting ready for back-to-school, and autumn definitely feels just around the corner.

At Shipley Country Park earlier this week there were plenty of signs of the subtle slide towards winter.

 

The leaves crunching underfoot were mainly due to the drought rather than shortening days but seeds are drifting on the breeze, apples and plums ripening in the community orchard, and berries and nuts hanging on the trees. 

It's time to start thinking of harvesting allotment produce, of filling the freezer with tomatoes and blackberries as reminders of summer,  of hearty dinners made with brassicas and beans, and of spending rainy days indoors knitting. Maybe with luck there'll be a few more weeks of sunshine before that though.