Welcome to the Fall

Just a few days into October, and here’s the first evidence of the task which is set to dominate my life daily for the next couple of months.
Yes , autumn is here and the first leaves are beginning to fall.  Fairly sparse at present but the high winds today are bringing down twigs from the oak trees  around us, accompanied by rather more than a handful of leaves.
It’s not a problem just yet but we are only too well aware that just three oak trees are set to shed a mountain of leaves over the next few weeks.
Of course I could ignore them, but that’s not my nature.
One year I bought a garden leaf blower and fine, it worked and cleared the drive and garden of leaves swiftly. The only problem is where do you blow them to.
Then I saw the equivalent of an outdoor vacuum sweeper which intrigued me with the promise that it would gobble up the leaves simply by sweeping the machine over the grass, or the drive. Problem again! It didn’t exactly live up to my expectations.
So if you are passing by any afternoon between now and the end of November spare a thought or a wave when you see me with broom and hand leaf scoops filling refuse bags ready for another trip to the nearby garden waste skips at the household recycling depot.