Branching out

We took advantage of our membership of the local arboretum to see the trees in their autumn colours this afternoon.

There was, however, one slight problem - the last time I visited, I put my membership card in my shirt pocket, accidentally left it there, and a couple of days later discovered it had been through the washing machine.

So my card now gives my name as Mr K A ......... and my membership expires on De........ In other words, it's pretty useless and looks like a hopeless fake.

My trick now is to put my wife's card on top as we drive through the gate and be very assertive about my right as a member to reach a car parking space without stopping - simply giving a cursory wave to the attendant in aristocratic fashion.

It's not my normal style, but it does the trick - saving me from having to explain the whole thing and wait for a new card to be issued.

I was helped today by the fact that the whole of the west of England wanted to see the trees, so the arboretum staff needed to get people through the queue as quickly as possible.

Once inside, it was a treat. The display of colours was magnificent - from deep reds to glorious yellows.

However, I had to take this photo next to a tree still bearing green leaves because they went with Mrs Dailykeith's outfit.

You might think female fashion tastes take precedence over nature, but it was actually my idea!