Autumn Day

​

Drab grey day. Rain falling steady and constant. Down over green, red, orange, gold and brown foliage. Catching on telephone lines in droplets moving along like ducks on fairground shooting game. Dropping on ground so hard from the heat of summer that it runs where gravity takes it, forming puddles and pooling here and there.

​

A Magpie splashes in a puddle before taking flight to land on the climbing rose above. Preening and shaking his iridescent feathers. Stopping every now and then to gobble up an ant or two. Rain continues to fall filling the air with scents of damp earth and moss. Bringing much needed moisture to plants beginning to wilt with the cooler mornings. Washing the windfalls and fallen leaves gathering under the apple tree.

​

As the day moves on, slightly warmer air tempts out wasps, flies and other insects to feed on decaying fruit. Only to find themselves easy snacks for roaming blackbirds who consider this their territory. Bright eyes and sharp beaks they dash about.

​

Shadows lengthen and weak sunshine breaks through, only to sink beyond the fence. The scent of rich beef and vegetable stew fills the kitchen as it gently simmers, steam fluffing white dumplings under the glass lid.

​

© D J Ford 2022