Two faces of autumn
Yesterday autumn roared in on a thundering wind, blowing over the bay tree, sending the wheelie bin rolling down the grass, filling the air with flying flowerpots. On the heels of the wind came a downpour which overflowed the gutters, set the land drains spouting, hammered on the slates and turned the paths to water. It was a day for staying in the warm kitchen. Our bedroom faces east. When I woke up this morning the sun was pouring in and the sky was a vivid blue behind the ridge on the other side of the valley. Today has been a gold and blue day, the sun warm, the air still. The crab apple is loaded down with fruit. This is malus Red Sentinel, planted to replace a little quince tree which slowly but surely lost the will to live. I kept trying to persuade myself that the quince would survive, even though it would shed a branch or two every time the wind blew strong. Eventually it split in two, falling open at its heart. The crab apple we...