Autumn...

The gathering season is here. We harvest the squashes, find chestnuts and hazelnuts, gather blankets and sweaters around ourselves. Hot chocolate becomes the evening drink of choice, soon to be followed by mulled cider, as we wait for our neighbours to bring us some freshly made from Normandy after the weekend.

Time to enjoy the brief burst of colour, before everything turns yellow and dies. Time to reflect on the year past and to prepare for the dark season.

Our munchkin is a little gatherer; I have to empty her pockets before I put anything in the laundry. It goes without saying that she is in her element. We use the pickings to create little arrangements around the house such as this one in the kitchen. The photo in the background is part of our 'wall of fame', which includes photos of relatives, friends, who are never far from our hearts. My father. The small B&W photo to the right is the younger man, at the end of his teens on a beach in Egypt. The left-hand photo was taken the year before he died. Eleven years this autumn. My daughter found the heart-shaped rock in the street...