A day of contrasts.

It was misty and dull first thing this morning, with a strong breeze. At least it dried the washing which was out on the line just after breakfast.
After lunch the sun managed to chase away the clouds and it has been quite warm.
I love the low golden light towards late afternoon. It’s backlighting the leaves in our new apple tree, and catching the petals of the remaining pink shrub roses.
I’ve been stripping off leaves which have black spot to put in the green waste bin.
My roses have never had it before and even with the usual “Rose Spray” that I use against pests, each year, it hasn’t prevented the problem on the leaves.
There was an article on the news today saying that it’s been the worst year ever for butterflies, since they first were monitored..
I know that most years when the sedum turns its beautiful purple that there have usually been lots of Red Admirals and Peacock ones around, as they love sedum as we arrive at Autumn.
Stephen went across the road to buy two ice creams when he got back from an appointment this afternoon, and the Ice Cream man said it had been the worst summer for 30 years. (Whether he meant for ice cream sales or the weather I guess amounts to the same thing). He parks his ice cream van outside the school on certain days.
I’ve been sitting in the summerhouse for a bit simply enjoying the light and dappled changing shadows, in the breeze.
Making the most of every last drop we can squeeze out of this small burst of end of summer.
And reading a French book.