Woodland pool

Friday was gloriously sunny, S was working an extra day with J having missed last week, so I seized the opportunity to walk before lunch, rather than waiting till it was almost dark as I too often seem to. I went up the hill and into the woods, expecting to find the trees much more autumnal than when I last walked there almost two weeks ago, but although the hedgerows are increasingly yellow and bare, the canopy in the wood was still surprisingly green, despite the thick carpet of brown and yellow leaves and rotting sweet chestnut cases underfoot. The light was rich and dappled, with an intensely blue sky visible between the branches. The path was very muddy in places, and it was good to find the pool full enough for reflections - the last time I saw it, it was mostly mud. We've had a wet October, but still need a lot more rain to restore ground water levels in anticipation of the draught we probably have to expect next spring and summer; Kent's water comes mainly from artesian basins, which are currently very depleted, so every autumn downpour is welcome.

Later, I brought my big pots of basil and tarragon down from the balcony and moved them into the greenhouse, where they may survive the winter. I normally grow basil as an annual, but if I can overwinter some it will give us a head start next spring. I also picked four very nice heads of calabrese and quite a lot of small courgettes, and brought in another small squash. This week is usually the date of our first frost, but there is no sign of it yet.