Hivernage

As Autumn draws on there are many tasks to do outdoors  -  with the house covered in Virginia creeper, and the garden full of trees and shrubs, some strong winds bring down the leaves, with an airborne palette of browns, golds and reds:

- and as we have been clearing leaves and dead annual plants we discover various creatures preparing for the winter:

The period when Autumn changes to Winter is such a mixture: so, as we cover up Orson the Olive Tree to protect him from possible frosts, we still have roses in bud and geraniums in flower:

While some trees and plants 'close down', we see in among the grass all sorts of little fungii forming semi-circles and 'faery rings':

But in the early morning there is no mistaking the lower temperatures and that 'just off frost' feeling and appearance and we're wondering what sort of winter it will be ... this time last year we had quite heavy falls of snow:

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