Although it has been warmer and sunnier these past two days than since early May, there is a definite feel of Autumn in the air - indefinable, but unmistakeable. My neighbour George, down the hill, has been sending billows of fragrant woodsmoke into the air each evening, and just ten minutes ago, I got a real shiver down my spine as I heard two or three robins singing their thready winter song for the first time.

Suddenly, my thoughts turn to falling leaves, hazelnuts, ripe blackberries, and all the other heralds of summer's end. I just hope that September is glorious rather than dismal, to set us up for the coming winter.

More: listen to a recording of a robin singing here:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/robin/index.asp

and read about the different songs here:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/robin/song.asp

Today, I published the first photo essay on my photo web site, so here is a shameless plug for it!

It is a short piece on the neglected places of the countryside.

Have a good weekend,y'all.

Up and out at 6:30, and making time just to stand and appreciate the beauty of this morning. Despite all the troubles in the land, just here, just now, is perfect.

Hardly a breath of air, and the dawn clouds are a tender, puffy blue-grey coverlet over the sky. The lazy cooing of woodpigeons, crows cawing, the clucking of the pheasant, the twittering of the small birds in the garden; a counterpoint to the stockman calling in the cows down the valley, and the gentle lowing of beef cows calling to their calves.

I am so lucky.

And Happy Birthday, Usksider. This post's for you.

For the past few days, we have been fostering a racing pigeon. We get two or three every year who stop for a few days R&R on their way home. Sometimes I can get a ring number and report their whereabouts, but this one was quite shy.

It is called 'Homer' - partly a pun (homing pigeon - geddit?), and partly because when it arrived, it fell hungrily on some corn I'd put out for the pheasants, and my husband said it looked as if it was saying "mmmm, co-o-o-rn" as it stuffed its beak - just like Homer with doughnuts.

It has spent a few days pooping on the conservatory roof, and sometimes peering upside-down into the upstairs windows from a perch on the gutter. But now it's winging its way home - successfully I hope. I just hope it doesn't fall in with some bad-ass woodpigeons and end up in a pie.