Gone away ...

When Amy left us the summer seemed to fly away too.  Ben took to moping on his bed and I missed terribly the round warm weight that used to settle heavily against my feet when I sat upon the sofa with my knitting or embroidery. 

But .. after all .. Amy would not have wanted us to be sad forever.  She had a tremendous zest for life, grasping every opportunity (especially if it involved food!) that came her way, and fortunately she slipped away so peacefully at the end.

So Ben and I decided to pick ourselves up and take ourselves out - on one of our favourite walks - around Snapes Point just across from Salcombe.  We set off from the carpark across fields that had already been cut ..

 

Close to where earlier in the year we watched the spring lambs at play. 

The day was overcast, but warm

and there was plenty of activity on the water.  Sounds of gulls crying, and outboard motors chugging along floated across to us from the Salcombe side of the creek .. the sound of the motor is so ubiquitous on the water now, I wonder how Salcombe sounded before the outboard became so widespread..

The long walk was clearly doing Ben a lot of good - he cheered up and began to act much more like his usual impatient self.  Doesn't the lane look autumnal? Check out the wind-sculpted trees - it can be very wild up here in the winter months.

Signs of autumn in the hedgerows - jewel-like haws and beautiful star-shaped ivy fruits.

And fruits in our garden too.  I am not at all fond of apples and always worry that, even after giving as many away as possible, as well making some chutney and also jellies,  a large quantity from our ancient trees either go to the birds or for composting - seems such a waste.  But this year ...

... the surplus are going for juicing courtesy of GreenJane - and we'll have some lovely juice to enjoy at Christmas.    It's the end of one season ... but the beginning of another... autumn leaves, bonfires and fireworks, choir and lunch-club, soups, casseroles and hearty warming puddings.... frosty mornings and toasted toes in front of the fire ... life goes on and though, like the summer, Amy has gone away now, she'll  never be forgotten by her family here in Devon.