Caughley Road: sunny, frosty, still – and very cold. By the time we’ve reached the far end (beyond which the lane slopes steeply down to the valley) we’ve warmed up a little. Take the camera out of the bag – it needs some exercise too.
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…but bright and sunny. In the shadier places (like the first quarter-mile) the frost hasn’t completely lifted, and it’s bitter! We’ve warmed up a little when we get to the brow of the hill, where the warmth from the sun is very pleasant. It’s good to be out on an afternoon like this!
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There isn’t usually a lake at Attingham, but storm Claudia visited us a couple of days ago: her baggage was prolonged heavy rain. There’s not a cloud in the sky today, but it will be very wet underfoot away from good surfaces – and the heathland around Attingham seems to drain well. However, the Severn’s high and the waters of the Tern can’t drain at all – hence the beautiful blue lake!
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… and getting colder. At least the rain’s gone. Our last outing was six days ago; just one dry day since then, when we were otherwise engaged. It’s really quiet around Church Preen this afternoon, and very pleasant, though we’re clearly in the last days of autumn. December’s approaching rapidly…
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09.45: it’s going to rain this afternoon… A pleasant walk around the Willey lanes. There’s no wind, no sunshine and hardly a sound – a grey melancholy calm as the last of the leaves, dripping with water, hang on for a few more days. Plenty of seasonal colour though.
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After a bright but overcast morning, the clouds have lifted. Blue sky! It’s against the law to stay indoors on afternoons like this. Just for a change, I’ll leave the car at home, and head for Willey (rhymes with ‘silly’), via Darley (rhymes with ‘rarely’). I’ll return past Deancorner, which sounds (a) like it should and (b) like war has broken out. It’s the shoot, and it’s very noisy (both guns and beaters). I’ll take that feather out of my cap (metaphorically, but we don’t want any mistakes) and scuttle away quickly!
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An hour or so along Shirlett Lane. No sunshine, but no rain either, and a steady breeze – plenty of fresh air! The autumn colours are great, but they’re not going to last much longer – most of them are on the ground.
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The land rises gently from the river so that whenever there’s a view to the north-east, the Wrekin is prominent. As we walk from Cound Guildhall on this fine afternoon, it’s worthy of attention…
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Should have been ‘November Morning’… We weren’t very quick getting away – until we saw the sunshine and the forecast for rain later. The season has moved on again – the trees are becoming rather sparsely foliated, and the autumnal fruits are either gone or well past their best – but it’s pleasant out, despite a few spots of rain. We’ll be ready for lunch when we get home
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It’s half term, it’s almost Halloween, and it’s very busy at Attingham – more cars than we’ve seen for a long time. “They won’t be going far…”
They aren’t – once we’re beyond the house, there are relatively few others around. The toadstools in the woods are past their sell-by dates, but there’s a wonderful assortment of pumpkins on display in the stable yard. (We’ve avoided the walled garden – we think that must be where all the others are)
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