Tuesday morning - grey sky (Coombe Wood walk)

A dull cold morning. A noisy crow cackled high in a tree.

A massive crumpled leaf on the path - possibly a gunnera leaf - I wonder how it got from the other side of the pond and onto the path.

Red leafy rivers run down the slope under the bare acer.

The prairie plants are thinning, making the paths more obvious. I think this will all be cut down soon. 

A few little white flowers with delicate pink. showing pink which only shows when they are closed or partially open.

It was quite dark under the trees although many red orange and gold leaves have fallen now revealing more sky and making the ground a rich mottled colour. It looks as if the gardener has been along here with the leaf blower as most of the paths were fairly clear of leaves.

Just a few little crumpled leaves are left on the little tree that was so bright with colour that it looked like a burning bush not long ago.

White camellias

Seed pods - fairly recently this was a big patch of magenta flowers. 

Coppery leaves

Furry bud

Another bud and a large crumpled leaf. 

So many shapes and colours.

It's strange when leaves change colour at such different rates on the same plant and you get such a contrast between the reds against the greens.

Gorgeous red "liquid amber" leaf.

Tiny deep burgundy leaves.

As I was nearing the gate the grey sky turned blue and the sun came out on a squirrel having a picnic up a tree.

A bird settled nearby and surveyed the area. The sun made the birch leaves shine. 

Sunlight on golden leaves. 

Last look at the pond before heading off to the dentist to have my front tooth repaired.

Thank you very much for joining me. 

Liquid Amber (Thursday morning at Coombe Wood)

Beautiful blue sky reflecting in the pond.

Sunlight on the grapes. 

Tiny white waxy flowers

Only a couple of leaves left on the magnolia but new buds are already showing.

Golden light

A couple of blustery nights have stripped most of the leaves from the deciduous trees.

Hardly any leaves are left on the acers that were so red only a couple of days ago.

Just a few crumpled leaves here and there. 

A carpet of red leaves under the bare branchesof the smaller acer. 

Tiny winged seeds on the bigger acer. 

A splash of sunlight illuminating golden leaves.

Another dark red acer. 

Carpet of gold. 

Trees almost bare. 

Spindle berries. 

The mistletoe is more visible now the surrounding leaves have fallen off.

This is the tree that I was photographing the other day - the one with a name label underneath that I couldn't read.

The sun was shining in exactly the right direction to show up the letters on the name label. Liquid Amber (Styraciflua) - what a beautiful name for a beautiful tree. It is one of the last trees to lose its leaves.

The colour is amazing

The gardener was somewhere nearby. 

Back to the pond and the rippling reflections. 

Thank you very much for joining me. 

Missed the drizzle (Coombe Wood Monday morning)

It was drizzling before I went out and drizzling on my drive home but dry for my walk!

A very different view this morning from my previous few frosty/misty mornings.

Colourful leaves by the pond.

Impressive buds on the rhododendron tree by the arch

Fragile papery hops

Heavy bunches of grapes are dragging the vines lower and lower on the trees they're scrambling over.

I was surprised to see brightly coloured nasturtiums still flowering.

Vibrant orange and pink

There are more leaves underneath the little acer than on the branches now.

From the other side - leaves draped across surrounding plants.

The tree with the unreadable label (I must try and take a rubbing of the label, it might be more legible as a rubbing) Gorgeous colours. 

 Another little acer - such a bright splash of colour against all that green.

Rich colours even on a dull day

Heading along the leaf covered path towards my favourite acers

Just look at those colours! (I lingered here for quite a while.)

 .

Dragging myself away from the acers, I was very surprised to see camellias!

The breeze picked up and leaves tumbled down all around me

Leaves flying in the air. (Sky very grey today)

Gorgeous Autumn tapestry of colours.

An assortment of leaves on a bench - as they have fallen.

That little acer again

The breeze picked up a swirl of leaves that danced above the grass and then settled down again.

Nests visible now the leaves have fallen. I wonder who lived here.

Delicate little pink flowers. 

Spindleberries. 

Are these crab apples? 

Colourful leaves behind the sundial. 

Thorny stems under that wonderful colour. 

Pokeweed (rotten name for a beautiful plant!) also known as inkberry, pigeon berry and pokeberry. Those berries have gone through amazing changes - now all hanging straight down and many of them are beginning to shrivel up. 

Tiny flowers, still colourful

Seed pods

Starry seed pods

Raindrops on euphorbia

Thank you very much for joining me