Beating Grandad to the Punch this year - Colours of FALL!

[Grandad]

Nice one. :

[Grandad]

Desperate to draw level with LLL I saw the sun on my little acer so I think this warrants another point....please.......

[LovelyLadyLux]

AHA - the PRESSURE is now ON!! Grandad has again drawn even in a neck to neck draw..........course other contenders are not out of the race yet.........this Contest might end in a PHOTO finish!!!

Grandad 3 and LLL 3 leading the field.........the rest of the pack is LOOMING (and am sure are planning and plotting strategies to draw ahead).......

[LovelyLadyLux]

Please don't think I've forgotten the challenged, dropped the ball or have had the fat lady sing - no no no......I'm just planning and plotting for a BIG finish and Grand Finale!

[Grandad]

You might have to wait a while LLL.....Still like Spring here

[Horus]

OK I have been a bit busy lately, but just nipped out for an hour or so and took my camera with me, I only went a little way off the beaten track, but just could not let LLL steal all the points. As said previously the mild wet weather has kept the leaves very much on the trees in the UK, but some are now starting to turn, we still seemto have the Autumn fruits showing, although not so many this year.

These are the hips from one of our wild 'Dog Roses'


And these are the berries of the Elder tree/bush, often collected to make wine with.


This is actually a full size apple tree with large fruit that look like Cox's Orange Pipin or similar, unusual to see this growing in the wild, probably the result a disgarded apple core as the track where it is growing used to be a railway line many years ago. I was very lucky to stop on my way back to take another picture, when I glanced down into the long grass at something that caught my eye, it was my lens hood that must have fallen off earlier!


Now for some trees, this is a Weeping Birch just about to start turning a lovely yellow colour.


This is a Beech tree and the leaves are just starting to turn into all those multiple shades of red and gold.


And finally a lovely Sycamore tree that has just about reached perfection with these shades of pink and reds.

[Ruby Slippers]

Beautifully crisp images, Horus!

[Horus]

Thanks RS

[Kiya]

Lovely pics Horus

I think that Sycamore tree pic could be used as an example in " Layer's " for a new sky

[LovelyLadyLux]

AHHH HAAA!!!! Horus has now passed us all with a 6 pointer to add to his other point he is way out in the lead with (at least) SEVEN POINTS!!!!

AGHHHHHHHH - I can SEE the challenge is picking up!!!!!!!! Hmmmmmmmm - have to get out there!!

And now excuses about it being Spring in the UK Grandad! You can fool me about lots of things but not that it is SPRING!

[Horus]

I accept the extra points LLL

OK Kiya we will add another sky into that picture, hopefully tomorrow.

[Kiya]

Okey Dokey

[LovelyLadyLux]

okkkkkeeeeeee dokeeeeee - my next lap of the race!

Went on my walk tonight (first time this week cause I've been feeling poorly) specifically looking for signs of fall AND.......one of the most noticeable aspects of fall here is that virtually everything is brown. Grass browned off cause of no water is very prominent.



Browned off leaves on the trees.....



Dried up seed pods off all the Scottish broom bushes.....



Sidewalks lined with dried grass.......



Ripe berries on the trees.....



And piles of brown dried up leaves all over the ground on the brown dried lawns......



Later today I went to pick up some groceries and virtually all stores right now have this display in front of them. Pumpkins delivered from all the farmers fields in preparation for Hallowe'en Oct 31st.



And lastly I was looking into a big outdoor field box of gourds and saw what the sign called 'albino pumpkins' (I'm sure this was a variety of gourd)



Sooooooooooo LLL will be adding an extra EIGHT points to her score which now gives LLL a comfortable lead.............

[Horus]

Mmm, 8 points in one go eh? that looks like an attempt to squash the opposition flat.
One thing that I have noticed though and that is you say your grass goes brown during Autumn, (fall) whereas our grass stays green all the year round. It starts off looking very lush in the Spring with a nice light green colour and darkens in colour throughout the year, it can get a bit course looking during the Winter months, but only ever goes brown if we have a really long dry spell of hot weather.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Almost all of our grass ends up going brown every summer. Usually here from about July (at the latest) through the end of Sept it doesn't rain as much (this year no rain and we're into Oct) and - believe it or not we do not have sufficient water reserves - we end up on water restrictions meaning you can only water every other day. Most people opt not to water at all consequently almost all lawns and grassy areas go brown in short order. Pops back real quick after the first rain but almost all lawns here have been brown for the past 2 months.

Soon as we enter the 'dry' season there are also restriction put about having any sort of open fire. No BBQs in the campsites and right on down the line 'til they even stop the logging trucks from driving through the bush for fear a spark will start a massive wild fire. Almost every year we get super bad forest fires that are started by lightening strikes. We had some really bad fires this year requiring entire towns to be evacuated.

[Grandad]

And now excuses about it being Spring in the UK Grandad! You can fool me about lots of things but not that it is SPRING!

Well we went for a walk along the top of Dover White Cliffs this morning and the sun was SO hot we needed our 'factor 15' Does this look like an Autumn scene....not likely, it's Spring already


And this one is for the 'challenge', must be some of 'Last Years' thistle heads.

[Horus]

Oooh that looks like a lovely walk Grandad and are you sure thems not Teasels?

[Grandad]

Oooh that looks like a lovely walk Grandad and are you sure thems not Teasels?

Maybe Horus, just trying to catch out LLL......her and all her pumpkins And who has heard of an albino pumpkin, had it got pink eyes

[Horus]

Too true Grandad, trying to fool us with an un-ripe Pumkin that was in the shade, albino indeed, deduct 1 point

[Kiya]

Very nice pics Grandad