October already, how the years fly past these days. It doesn’t seem 11 months since I was planning and packing for my trip to Australia and New Zealand. Luckily we have been experiencing an Indian Summer here in the UK. September and October have been mostly dry so far. Misty mornings give way to bright cloudless days until mid afternoon when cloud descends again. Being sunny and unseasonably warm I am not even going to complain about the nights drawing in. For now.
The only issue is that because we haven’t had any cold periods yet a lot of the trees are still very green looking; we need a sharp cold hit to trigger the process that causes leaves to turn colour. Still, I decided that this month I’d take you back along the common where we can get a good view of the town and any colouration of the trees and shrubs from above. Hopefully next month we will see more changes.
Date: October 14 2015
Weather: sunshine and cloud
Temperature: Fresh and sunny (11°C)
Time: 12:00 – 13:15 PM
I’m not going to talk too much this month, I’ll let the pictures tell the story and those of you who have been following this series should recognise a lot of the views.
There are some burnished golds and copper tints and I see that the meadows have been mown and the bracken is dying down.
Coming out on to the open sward of Whitcliffe and the panoramic views over the town from here you get a good idea that autumn has indeed arrived.
Leaving the woodland behind, somewhat disappointed that I didn’t find any fungi (but then it has been a dry month) I arrive at Dinham bridge and peer over the parapet to find my swans and their five cygnets have made the ‘beach’ their home. The brown water is quite low and running slowly today and the sun is starting to play its usual game of hiding behind clouds now.
Up Dinham, remember the stone cottage? Someone has been busy in the garden this summer. Bright red pyracanthus hangs over the wall up by St John’s Chapel and the trees around the castle look quite magnificent.
And finally a few autumnal flowers
The Cardinal has decided to have a photo project going throughout 2015 – a blogging event, a monthly photo challenge. Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?
TRAVEL WORDS 
Aah, there are my lime trees, still looking lovely with their greenery. The touch of autumn colour elsewhere is pretty.
I don’t even know if those trees lose their colour – I think they are pollarded every other year so maybe this year I shall see what happens!
So much green Jude! We have had several days of wind and now most all of our trees are bare. We know what’s coming next!
Shiverrrrr…..
Beautiful collection, Jude!
That first photo is like a fairy tale depiction of castle and cottage – gorgeous! You’ve captured a perfect fall day.
Thank you! The sun was ducking and diving by the time I got to the castle end of the walk, but lit up the castle beautifully when it did come out. Interesting how just that one cottage appears, there are others among the trees!
Cherish it, Jude! It should be your last Autumn in Ludlow, and you’ll have this lovely record of your time there. Cardinal had his inspiration at just the right time for you. 🙂
Rather different in our part of the world. It’s been much cooler this past week and Autumn is well advanced. In fact, I’m thinking that in going north I could miss it or only catch the damp and dreary stage. 😦 Ludlow’s not so very bad, is it? Just not by the sea 🙂
Ludlow is a delightful town Jo, I couldn’t have asked for anywhere better to live in Shropshire. I like it a lot more than Shrewsbury where I lived for a couple of years. But it is expensive to buy property here and although the surrounding countryside is gorgeous, public transport is dire and most village shops are closed. But it was never part of the plan to live here, we had intended to head west as far back as 2008 so I think it is time we fulfilled that dream, while we can 😀
Yes- get a move on. 🙂
🙂
What a lovely time of year, Jude. That castle is such a beautiful landmark. Love the bench photo and the view over the roofs. 🙂
There are quite a lot of benches on this walk, several on this open ground as it does lend itself to the most dramatic views over the castle and town.
Fall is such a beautiful time! Loved looking through all the colourful fall photos in this post:)
Lovely photos, thanks for sharing, love your photos of Dinham castle amongst the trees
It is lovely to see the castle amidst the trees and then to see it in winter when the trees are bare.
It’s very colorful there now. I like it.
I always think the English landscape looks its best in spring and autumn.
It’s the same around here. Autumn looks best, but spring feels better.
The colours are coming, slowly! Your header photo is stunning…
Each day I notice the colours deepening from my upstairs window. I hope there will still be leaves on the trees for next month.