Country L ife THERE is no telling when autumn really begins,
for, like summer, it takes no account of the calendar, but most people consider autumn to be the fall of the leaf. Strictly. speaking, this is anywhere from August to well into November and even December. It is hard to say where autumn shows first. In leaf- change it might be on an apple tree or a gooseberry hush if one considers the garden or orchard. Depending on the wind and the season's weather as well as the ,locality, the leaf might be off the sycamore and strewing the path of the wood at the first touch of frost, but autumn in a positive way is the blossom of the Michaelmas daisy and• chrysanthemums, late mushrooms in the grass at the side of the wood, ripe berries of all, sorts showing when leaves are drifting in the stream and a shower of acorns falls at intervals on a misty afternoon. We are deep in autumn now with winter not so far off. The pigeons are cruising in flocks, feeding where they can, and tractors are rumbling along, turning the furrows hour by hour. It is the season of the year I like best until I think of spring and a lively hill stream.
Previous page
