Joys of Autumn

Wherever the storm came from that caused havoc in our village, I don't want to go there.

JO4, the flu virus doesn't discriminate between the fit and the unfit nor does it make a difference whether you keep warm or not. And the only 'sensible precaution' you can take against it is to keep away from all human contact for the entire flu season. The worst attack I have had was when I was 17, fighting fit but there was a major epidemic (Asian Flu) and it was hard to avoid at school.
Hang on, where's JessM? She's usually the one who can give us all the scientific info.

anno My cousin died from Asian Flu. She was seven months pregnant. We both have the jab. Mr soop is asthmatic and he has the jab for pneumonia too.

I think a healthy individual can shake of an illness more easily than an unfit person, and might be less liable to succumb to an infection in the first place.

I think keeping warm is important. When you are cold your body is again, more likely to succumb.

That's my view of things. If you have a different view, that is fine.

That, of course, was to annodomini

Oh Bags you obviously either haven't hit the menopause, or if you have you may have sailed through it and didn't experience any of the nastier symptoms, hot flushes, sleepless nights and worst of all night time sweats, bring on the colder nights!

I've got a streaming cold at the moment.I'm very fit and NEVER get colds normally. Coincidently, OH has started a new job in London and he seems to have inflicted an alien virus on us.

You're right, banana, the menopause didn't 'hit' me. DD3, who was born when I was nearly 45, was my last good egg (she still is a good egg ). Things just gradually fizzled out after that. Lucky me.

Wow that must have been a surprise at nearly 45, but no doubt she keeps you young!

No, it wasn't a surprise. Had been trying for a while . And yes, she's good fun.

Talking of Butterflies one of my friends lives in an Elizabethan style house..beams, high roof etc....when you go up the stone staircase you go along the landing and there are old beams there. when I first started to go there many yrs ago..butterflies would come inside the house and make them selves comfy I presume for the winter,they would stay there until spring time..and when the windows were opened they would make there way outside fluttering against the windows..But for the last few yrs the Butterflies have not come inside the house when it starts to get cold..but last week I counted 11 all sat here and there high up on the beams! not sure what this is a sign of...!! maybe it and why they have come in this year and not the last few yrs.

The phlox, rudbekias and sedums are resplendescent (sp?) and full of bees and more sphynx, like little humming birds. The woods are just beginning to turn very slightly, and the woods are full of ceps and other wonderful and tasty mushrooms. The autumn raspberries are absolutely delicious.

Don't eat all those raspberries before next week!

Providing the sun comes back - you'll have a bellyfull every day

I need to scythe some rushes but Devil's Bit Scabious is flowering among them so I'll have to wait until their seed has ripened and fallen. Maybe there will be more next year. It has been too cold/wet for the bats to come out for the last two nights, but I expect they will again before they really hibernate.

I had no idea how much bees and butterflies love sedum; I only planted a load this year [for some reason couldn't get any last year]. Also full of moths at night. Annoyingly the fuschias [I bought lots of them at a B&Q two for one day] which have done nothing all summer are now flowing away like mad just as I wanted to throw them out and put other plants in the pots. Plants always die on me except when I want them to....

I have brown fingers - I can never keep a pot plant alive. My daughter used to give them to me but she gave up in the end.

A beautiful red squirrel has been scampering around the garden and bouncing on and off the walnut tree branches all afternoon. So busy!

That made you smile, Butty They are pretty creatures.

How lovely, butty! I'm quite envious

Autumn sunlight throws lengthening shadows across the rich, warm colours of the landscape. Bonfire smoke is carried on a lively breeze. Autumn is my favourite season.

Lovely, Soop. Autumn seems to have come overnight. I walked in the forest yesterday and there is already a new carpet of golden leaves, in spite of the warm sunshine. Still a little snow on the further peaks, on the way to Mont Blanc.

There's something special about Autumn, isn't there soop. It's the one season that reminds me of the passing of time...

I enjoyed the early side light on the sycamore keys that I could see from my sewing room window at half past seven this morning (yes, I do sew that early), and it has been a lovely breezy bright light day today after two days of very heavy showers and dark clouds. There's a briskness in the air (max outdoor temp here today 11.4°C) and I've got a lot done as well as having some fun 'web-bursts' between tasks.