Well, the next day was indeed brighter, with a warmer sun. Applying my usual test - it was warm enough to have lunch outside on the bench. Since then, there has been a little rain, some wind and some cool sunshine. The wind brought down a reasonable amount of twigs from the ash trees, and toppled the hazel wigwam supporting Tutankhamun, so he has been pulled up (since the cooling weather would mean he'd be on the way out anyway) and composted. Next year I must pinch out the young plants properly so that they don't get top-heavy - there was a lot of growth up beyond the top of the wigwam.
The wind has also brought down more leaves, especially today. Yesterday was completely calm, and so quiet that you could hear the fall of a leaf; but this morning a lot of ash leaves had come down and they continued to fall all day. There will be good leafmould for next year. However, as the big ash tree gradually turns bare, it's clear how few seeds there are; this is good in terms of fewer unwanted seedlings all over the garden, but a sign of the bad summer. Apparently horse chestnuts are also in short supply.
Not much change as far as flowers are concerned; just a few final ones on various plants, although the new Michaelmas daisy has a nice bright lavender-purple flower on it, with maybe more to come.
The blackbirds, who haven't been much in evidence lately, have started reappearing (or maybe they're migrant incomers). Robins (at least two), dunnocks, a wren and lots of sparrows also around, and today a pair of nuthatches were on the seed container, and a gt spotted woodpecker on the nuts. Also the marsh tits, which is nice. The green woodpecker continues his interest in the cooking apples. I keep listening for the sound of fieldfares, but none yet ...
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