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Summer began to say goodbye to me today.  The day started out a bit on the chilly side, though still warm for October.  Nothing like the days in our other house, where we’d step outside on the 1^st September and find that our breath came in mists, and we’d nip back indoors for a scarf.

I went to our HQ for lunch with a friend, and we walked the quarter of a mile there under a battleship-grey sky, though it didn’t rain.  We had worked together years ago in our Council’s Education Department, and it was nice reminiscing and catching up with our news.  Our talk inevitably turned to our animals and her children.

Then, at about 4pm, suddenly the clouds cleared and the sun shone through the trees.  It was big and low and shone straight into my portacabin window, through the two crystals that I have hanging there, and cast dancing rainbows onto my desk.  The trees opposite me have not turned colour yet, but some of the leaves have dropped and I can see the branches.

On my way home I stopped to talk to our security guard and we spoke of the clocks changing on Sunday, and the early dark nights to come.

I have just walked home through the estate, out to the main road, past the lads playing footie on the communal grass area.  All around me were signs of Autumn; changing colours, birds amassing on the house roofs, telegraph wires and the pyramid roof of the supermarket, chattering excitedly and preparing to Fly South ("checking their passports", I usually say to anyone who I think might laugh).  Leaves on horse chestnut and other trees were changing colour; chestnuts and conkers were lying on the ground still in their cases, waiting to be discovered.

The sky was pale turquoise blue and as the sun sank lower into the haze the horizon opposite had begun to turn pink, circling the eastern horizon with an alice band of colour.  Two aeroplane con trails were brilliant streaks gold, one heading north and the other heading for the south east. 

I came home and the cats were both indoors, fast asleep; Diesel on R’s chair and Bubbles on her ‘crunchy cushion’ – a lilac-coloured material casing filled with little polystyrene balls that she likes pounding into shape and then flumping onto, wriggling her elbows into it so that she is comfortable and warm.  Both of them yawned as I came in and stretched their front paws – I always want to call them arms! – in my direction as I dumped my bags and went to see them. 

Diesel did his little half rollover so that I could tickle his tummy, and Bubbles wandered over to me so that I could tickle her head at the same time.  Then they followed me out to the kitchen to see what I might be going to give them.

I looked out of the window, and there is our Virginia creeper, climbing over the end of the garage and surrounding the bird box.  It is a blaze of red and orange.  My Cosmos plants have a few brave flowers on the top of stems that are now over 6′ tall, and the big tomato plant in the tub has yielded its last little tomato.

Summer has gone; Autumn is here; Winter is waiting.