#361 - Golden Beech Leaves in Mud

And so it begins... another autumn. I will miss the long evenings and bright days of summer but love this last flaming of nature before the weather really changes. My first perfect moment of the new season was seeing these leaves lying on the forest floor. As the song goes: "How can I keep from singing...?"

#360 - Opening leaves in May

I will need to go back to this tree later in the year, as I couldn't work out what it was; the leaves were opening in pairs, on the end of each twig, like hands opening to the sun. I love the newborn look of opening leaves, the crumpled look of potential.

#359 - Blackthorn blossom clusters

The blackthorns are full of spindly flowers, a frothy profusion along the sloe hedge. There is a path which leads between the hill and the hedgerow and this time of year I can't see it without thinking of Anne of Green Gables and her 'White Way of Delight'.

#358 - Alder catkins at sunset

Just as we left the park tonight, the sun was sinking behind the houses, and the sky was filled with rose and orange lights. The alder catkins, hanging dry and dead from last autumn, were silhouetted for a few moments against the sunset.

#357 - Ice laden leaves

 I took this photo in the corner of a field where the shadow of the houses had blocked the sun throughout the day. Most of the field was just wet and muddy but one corner was still magical and white, each blade of grass edged with silver, each leaf weighed down with ice crystals, bowed down with winter.

#356 - Frosted Oak Leaves

So far, in the Midlands, we've only had a sprinkling of snow which has quickly melted come the morning. I did manage to take an early walk yesterday and saw some crystal-rimmed leaves not yet caught by the Winter sun which was just appearing over the tops of the bare trees. A little bit of sparkle is what's needed in the bitter, January weather.