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| This is the distant hill we can see from our house, on a perfect autumn afternoon |
It's been a while since I posted.
Work has been crazy-busy and with my long working days and hellish commute, I find that I simply don't have the energy to devote to this activity. My Fridays off are generally filled with errands, appointments, housework and personal admin. On Saturdays we do usually try to get out and about, unless Kevin is on boarding duty. However since the new academic year started, Kevin's new role as Head of Physics has meant we've had less time for gadding about the country.
But I couldn't let this season, my favourite time of year, pass without sharing some of the glories.
In very early autumn we searching for signs of colour - unsuccessfully, for the most part, as we had a very mild start to the season. In fact it was almost an Indian Summer until well into October.
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| Very early autumn from Harting Down - part of the South Downs, West Sussex. Some of the trees just starting to turn |
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| Early autumn in the churchyard of St Mary and St Gabriel, in South Harting, in our neighbouring county of West Sussex |
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| Above and in the picture below - 'chocolate box' cottages in the West Sussex village of South Harting, where we enjoyed a fireside drink in the local pub |
Our immediate environs remain gobsmackingly, unbelievably gorgeous, despite the fact that we've been back here at Frensham for well over a year now and should be blasé about it. I don't think I ever will be. See the proof below.
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| Afternoon light at the corner of our garden fence, looking south-east. I know our Australian friends and family will be regarding that verdant ground with envious eyes |
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| Across the road from our bungalow - The Aldridge Theatre (far left), with an avenue of intensely red acers, and the beech hedge in the foreground (our house is opposite those white cones in the distance - they are an all-weather canopy in front of the school's art studio) |
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| One of those incredibly red acers across the street from our house |
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| One of my favourite trees at Frensham Heights - this glorious gingko is beautiful in summer, but absolutely stunning in autumn as it turns bright gold |
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| Optimum autumn colour - ivy and virginia creeper on the main entrance to Frensham Heights School |
One of the benefits of all that damp, misty autumn weather is the abundance of fungi that springs up everywhere, mixed in with the trees sprouting their cones and acorns. Most of the fungi are poisonous and I'd never risk illness or death by harvesting my own, without being trained. But they're fascinating to look at.
I know spring is vibrant because of everything bursting into bloom, but autumn holds just as many pleasures, if only you open your eyes.
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| Tiny candle-like immature cones, on one of the school's cedars |
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| Fool's Conecap on a fallen log |
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| A miniature forest of fungi on this fallen log in woodland at Frensham Heights School (Common Inkcap - each mushroom is about 7-8 centimetres high) |
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| Yes, this is real! There was a great expanse of these fairytale toadstools (Fly Agaric) on the lawn at work |
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| Dinner plate shelf fungi on a tree at Limnerslease, the former home of artists G F Watts and Mary Watts, near Compton |
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| Dew on tree berries, Frensham Heights School front lawn |
A walk from our front door in any given direction - but particularly south - leads to winding country lanes with their deep shadows, opening out to wide green fields and expanses of natural forest. The whole of Surrey is currently blanketed in a carpet of gold, but already many trees are bare and this most beautiful time of year will shortly give way to the more austere beauty of winter.
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| The other end of Summerfield Lane |
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| Sheep grazing on the high fields close to Nash's Copse, near Dockenfield - this is the other side of the distant hill that we can see from our backyard |
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| A tunnel of green and gold - West End Lane, about five minutes' walk from home |
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| Yours truly basking in late afternoon golden light in early November - on the distant hill we can see from the house |
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| Amber autumn sunlight creates the illusion that the tops of these pine trees are ablaze |
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| The mud has returned to Surrey - which is as it should be! |
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| Golden beech in one of my favourite bits of woodland, just below the school - it's known as 'Secret Sands' (I often stand in this woodland - which is elevated between two lanes - and twirl around in circles, staring up at the tree canopy and the sky. Thankfully, I've only ever come across another human there on one occasion. So I don't yet have a reputation as a local eccentric, as far as I'm aware...) |
Some of you will have seen a few of these shots before, either on Facebook or my Instagram account, but I hope you won't object to the repetitive content.
FYI: If you are an Instagram user, you can follow me (@mareepsasja), and some of the content that I publish on Instagram does not end up on this blog. I only have 96 followers, LOL - the internet 'influencers' are under no threat from me!
In early October we were thrilled to catch up with my nephew Damian, his wife Kristy, and children Joshua and Alyssa, who were on a short visit from Sydney. It was more than three years since I had seen them, and well over five years for Kevin, and I think the kids had a challenge to remember us. But by the end of our day together in Brighton, we were old friends.
I got Kristy's permission to publish some photos of us all on Facebook (my FB security settings are such that only my 'Friends' can see my pictures on that platform), but as this is a blog open to the internet, I'm not including any photos of the family.
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| Über cool hair salon in Brighton |
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| The satisfyingly kitsch Victorian splendour of Brighton Pier |
I spent a Sunday in October at Arundel Castle in West Sussex, catching up with a former work colleague. Kevin and I visited this magnificent castle and lovely village a couple of years ago, and with it being an easy one-hour drive from home, it was a pleasure to take a second look.
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| The Keep, Arundel Castle, West Sussex. Established in 1067, the castle was damaged in the English Civil War (1642-1651) and then restored during the 18th and 19th centuries |
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| Arundel Castle Keep and Barbican Tower |
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| Spectacular views across the town of Arundel and the West Sussex countryside, from the Barbican Towers |
I've been into London for the day several times in the past couple of months, catching up with friends and visiting exhibitions. In October Kevin and I joined friends Roy and Tracey to see a special screening of the original Blade Runner film at the Royal Albert Hall, with a live orchestra providing the fabulous Vangelis score.
This was a particularly special event, given that the person who stole every scene he was in, and one of my all-time favourite actors - Rutger Hauer - had passed away at the age of 75 just a few months before.
Click here to view 3 minutes and 54 seconds of one of Rutger's finest moments in cinema - the famous 'tears in rain' scene towards the end of Blade Runner.
I managed to meet Rutger at the Sydney premiere of his film Salute of the Jugger (also known as The Blood of Heroes in some countries), way back in 1990, and although his career has had its up and downs over the decades, I have always followed him with interest.
RIP, you big hunk of Dutch talent.
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| The Royal Albert Hall - with no scaffolding, for once! |
The following day we explored the Design Museum in Kensington. A lot of you probably don't associate London with cutting edge design and modern architecture, and my own focus has always been on the history of the city and its buildings. However, Britain does have a solid track record in these areas, and this museum pays homage to all forms of design.
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| Such a fascinating piece of architecture - look at all those shapes in the ceiling! |
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| A fascinating exhibit shows the full horror of a single passenger's plastic waste on a long haul flight - and the alternative products being developed to mitigate this |
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| I have a bit of a weakness for Anglepoise lamps - which this particular exhibit indulged |
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| Ah, the fashion of my heyday! The bold designs of Vivienne Westwood's 'Seditionaries' series, 1976-1978 |
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| Thank goodness for 1976. Although I was only to really discover punk a couple of years later, at age 14, even in the far-flung suburbs of Sydney the energy of this cultural movement would change my life |
After a leisurely breakfast one Saturday in early November, on a whim we decided to explore a bit more of Wiltshire. This is a county that's always held appeal for us, but aside from passing through it on our way to Bath, the Cotswolds or to Wales, we haven't spent that much time there.
It was a typically drizzly autumn day, and we only had a few hours so we took the scenic (B-road) route towards Devizes, and returned via a brief stop in Marlborough. We plan to do some more exploring when we have proper time to do the area justice.
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| One of Wiltshire's famous hillside chalk horses - this one at Cherhill, just north of Devizes |
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| The Halloween decorations were out in Devizes |
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| Stone cottage near Devizes in Wiltshire |
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| Silbury Hill - Europe's largest man-made prehistoric mound (built between BC 2400-2300) |
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| Charming pub in the prosperous town of Marlborough |
In the course of plotting the route for our Wiltshire day out, I came to the realisation that Highclere Castle (that's Downton Abbey to you) is less than an hour's drive from us.
WHAT THE ??!?!!!!
How did I live this long in Surrey without realising this? It's literally 20 minutes' drive slightly north-west from Basingstoke. Admittedly, it's only open on certain dates and you need to book tickets in advance, but needless to say, we have plans to rectify this day-trip oversight.
Watch this space - no doubt there will be a Highclere Castle post coming your way in 2020...
And so I will close with a couple of snaps of what we have named 'Pheasant Central' - ie our backyard. It's been a joy to watch the elder Mr P bring his offspring to feed in our garden, with Mr P Junior gradually developing his tail feathers and adult male colours. And Mr P has invited his extended family on occasion: Kevin counted nine pheasants in the garden at one time during the recent half-term holidays.
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| Mr P Senior (at the rear), with P Junior in the foreground - foraging for seed from our birdfeeders |
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| Close-up of Mr P Senior - what a handsome chap! |
We are still enjoying nightly visits from the badgers, though I confess to a diminution in my affection, upon the discovery that they are steadfastly eating their way through my spring bulbs, planted in late October and which were just starting to show their green shoots above the soil level. *pesky devils!*
Here's hoping the bulbs make it through to spring...
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| Pine woods near The Sands, about 10 minutes' drive from home |
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| At the peak of Autumn glory - a field on Summerfield Lane, immediately below the school. At most times of the day you can usually find 2-3 roe deer munching on the foliage |
Until next time,
- Maree xo
