Our younger granddaughter has hearing difficulties and is to have a series of five operations, the first one was last month and the second is tomorrow, so we are on our way up country to be with and to support our daughter and her little family.
It is no longer golden October, but one could be forgiven for thinking it still is, everywhere I look there is so much beautiful autumn colour.
Berries stand out brightly on trees and bushes now that leaves are really dropping. We pass many mighty oaks on the way, most of them venerable old trees standing strong and still retaining their leaves, which are turning a golden colour. Roadside hedgerows are clothed in red, yellow, green, brown and orange and an absolute delight to see.
Passing through a town we see Sumachs hanging over garden fences they are deliciously red with slight touches of yellow and orange, every autumn they look spectacular and such a delight. Beware planting them in the garden though as they happily throw up suckers and do need to be kept in check.
Travelling along the A10, I glance across fields to the near distance and smile to see many trees standing very tall and totally bereft of leaves except for the greenery on the huge balls of mistletoe clinging to their upper branches.
Many fields are once again green either because they are laying fallow or are now once more green from the haze of new crops shooting up.
We are on the A1 now and my breath is almost taken away by the bright golden orange of the verge side bushes and trees, not much further back we had passed by a length of wayside bushes which were startling in their colour, no golds, oranges or yellows - instead every shade of pink through to deepest maroon. This was obviously due to the type of shrub, maybe they were cornus, but whatever they were very attractive.
It is another mild day, bright with a hint of mist in the far distance, where trees and fields on the horizon are shaded with blue.
We pass many fields where brassicas are growing and in one, on the edge a tractor stood quietly awaiting the farmers next need, had he forgotten to put it away or did he usually leave it standing idly by while the crops reached ever higher up its wheels.
Just past Buckden we see a Pyracantha hedge, quite twelve feet high and maybe thirty feet long. The number of berries was staggering never have I seen a more thickly berried bush before, hopefully it will feed many hungry creatures in the cold weeks to come.
Bright red apples festoon a tree on the right hand side, while on the left we pass a stretch of trees with totally bare branches except for the top two feet which are decked in something that looks like white blossom but which is really the underside of the last leaves still clinging on. The trees because of this look quite spring like and pretty.
The sky from the right looks summery and bright, it is blue and interspersed with fluffy clouds and the sun is shining, while to the left the clouds thicken and the sky darkens. Across in the distance it grows darker still and threatening. It is two fifteen in the afternoon and the temperature is a surprising fifteen degrees.
In the distance we see great vee formations of migrating birds.
The further north we travel the browner everything looks, we have lost the sun to the clouds now and more trees and bushes have lost their leaves and the brighter colours are noticeably toned down.
A road sign tells us we are still 38 miles from Doncaster and we know we will have more miles than that to go once we reach there.We are driving through rich countryside and we pass a series of lakes in adjoining fields, with not a duck or swan to be seen on any of them. The only sign of life comes from the silver train flashing bullet like across the fields behind the lakes. On a summers day with the sparkle of sunlight highlighting the water and the train in the background and the lush green fields surrounding, this must look quite picturesque.
Just before Elkesley we pass a stand of ferns, all at least 3 feet 6 inches tall and no longer green, yellow or orange, instead they were all cream and brown and looked very beautiful.
I hope while I am in Yorkshire to walk in my daughters favourite woods and to visit nearby coastal waters. In the forest to shuffle my feet through its carpet of autumn leaves, look for funghi and smell that unique autumn smell of our woodlands. At the coast I shall walk the sands, enjoy the fresh seaside air and stand silent a while and let the music of the waves and the sound of the gulls wash over me and refresh my soul.
Life is so good, every day is a blessing.
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