Time rolls by!

Autumn is a time of year that makes me feel a little confused. The evenings have grown longer and darker and there is a distinct chill in the air. Memories of summer are quickly fading and the worst of winter has yet to hit us. And yet there is a serenity and beauty about the changing season that cannot be appreciated at other times of the year.

The leaves on the trees are now far and few between and the colours of "Fall" are spread out on the ground like a luscious carpet of the deepest hues. As I drive down the country lanes near my house I find myself distracted by the beauty of the merging colours of the surrounding woodland, the magnificence of which cannot be overstated.

The fields are almost all empty of their crops now, and the ground has been tilled in readiness for next years harvest. Bare, dark patches of earth worked through all weathers by hardworking farmers.

Today the tree surgeon/gardener arrived to prune back the diseased Cherry tree and the vast hedges that surround our front garden. It needed doing and it is the right time of year to do the job. Arnott (yes that's right!) and his team went for it big time assuring me that it would look incredibly harsh but that the garden would benefit from the radical procedure. He wasn't wrong! The lushness has gone and the garden looks a bit sorry for itself at the moment. Roll on next Spring says I!

It made me think about how our lives sometimes need pruning right back to get rid of the deadwood, and encourage healthy growth. These processes are a bit painful and can leave you feeling a bit exposed. But it also brings a clarity and a light that is often blocked out by the thick, overgrown branches of life. Like my garden the new growth will be better, stronger and more attractive. Worth the initial pain of The Gardener's secateurs I think!