Tuesday 23 September 2014

Evidence of autumn...

Well it seems to have arrived right on cue. There was a real chill in the air this morning and that, along with crisp emptiness that makes the birds sound like a tinny recording of themselves when they sing, seemed to say ‘autumn is here’. I wouldn’t call it mellow fruitfulness though. It didn’t quite feel mellow and if there was fruit to be had I couldn’t see it. Maybe autumn wasn’t here after all, as they say ‘one swallow doesn’t make a summer’.

Evidence is what I needed, evidence of autumn.

Creeping out of the yard gate and into the deserted entry I wondered what I might find. Would autumn be everywhere as if someone had flipped the autumn switch overnight and plunged us into a world of mists and bonfire smoke? Of course I was hoping to find spiders. You know, the big hairy ones that are everywhere this time of year apparently, real monsters big enough to eat a chicken whole. But the only spider I saw was a tiny pinprick of a creature sitting in the middle of his dew free web. I couldn’t even find one of those orange autumnally bloated slugs that seem to appear just after the summer has left as if they had sucked up the last of the sun and were storing it in their gooey bodies to get them through the winter.

Yes, perhaps the report of summer’s death and the arrival of autumn had been grossly exaggerated.

It was then that I spotted what I was looking for. A little further along the alley tucked up against a neighbour's back wall was a neatly swept pile of leaves. Now these weren’t ordinary leaves, and they weren’t M and S leaves either, these were definitely autumnal leaves. It was their colour that gave them away.

Mind you nature can be tricky, and she makes some leaves red and brown all year around without the need for autumn. So to be sure I picked up a handful to check for the rustle factor. The leaves felt dry and crisp in my hand and when I scrunched them they made a very satisfying dry rustle. These were indeed the first leaves of autumn. I bent to scoop up another handful and as I did a huge brown arachnid, one of those fabled spiders I’d read about in the papers, leaped towards me and clung to my hand.

That was evidence enough for me. So gently flinging the huge thing off my hand (I am not afraid of spiders you understand) I beat a hasty retreat to my back gate and safety once more. I had found autumn. That pile of swept up leaves was just the harbinger of things to come. Watch now how quickly the leaves will turn.

22 comments:

  1. Tim Preston on FB
    you remind me of Winnie-the-Pooh

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrew Height on FB
    Well, I do love honey Tim... pesky bees.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lindsey Messenger on FB
    I love shuffling through a big pile of autumn leaves x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      These were just a few Lindsey. but they will be coming.

      Delete
  4. Vicky Sutcliffe on FB
    Ahh autumn... actually one of my favourite times of the year x

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      yes Vicky me too. Except I'll have to trade my flip flops and sandals for proper shoes which I haven't worn since March!

      Delete
  5. David Bell on FB
    Nothing like walking out of the front door straight into a face full of spiders web

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      Particularly after a heavy dew.

      Delete
  6. Tim Preston on FB
    sorry to change the subject again but I am beginning to see a likeness
    Tim Preston's photo.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.

      Delete
  7. Maggie Patzuk on FB
    Love this time of the year. We need a photo of the spider!

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      If I can get my pluck up Maggie I'll go looking for him. We are off to Wales at the weekend and at this time of year the bath is always full of spiders when we arrive. The record is 14!

      Delete
    2. Maggie Patzuk on FB
      Interesting! Are they waiting for you to bathe them?

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    3. Andrew Height
      Bathroom is on the ground floor and they climb up the pipes to go skateboarding in the tub.

      Delete
  8. Maggie Patzuk on FB
    Do you have names for them? BTW - when you go to Wales, does Luna go with you?

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      No, I catch them and put them outside. If I kept them I WOULD have to name them. Yes Luna does come with us to Wales. I'll blog it some time.

      Delete
  9. Maggie Patzuk on FB
    Yes please! And photos!!!

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  10. David Bell on FB
    On the subject, I've just trapped one (spider, not cat) in a glass and it's leg span was at least 38mm not counting the boots.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      Big bugger then. I can't wait to get to the cottage tomorrow. I've got my Kevlar vest ready.

      Delete
    2. David Bell
      You need Kevlar undies because the buggers will climb up your trouser leg faster than a rat up a drainpipe

      Delete
    3. Andrew Height
      David I always tuck my trousers into my socks. I call it a fashion statement but my wife calls it something else altogether.

      Delete
    4. David Bell
      It's also important to keep your shirt tucked into your undies for full protection against arachnid invasion; altogether it's a stylish look especially when perched on a high stool .

      Delete