Detritus

Autumn seems to have arrived very suddenly. Not much more than a week ago I was able to see the first signs of a few leaves turning colour. Now whole trees have undergone a chromatic metamorphosis. The only protracted break in today's heavy showers came at lunchtime when I grabbed a few shots of the weir and also my family of swans, the babies now almost the size of their parents. But walking back to the office I stopped by the lucky puddle that I blipped last week and was immediately drawn to this collection of leaves in the gutter. It was if they had been placed there for artistic effect. I love the natural composition and the overlay of different colours. Detritus doesn't get any prettier than this.

I raced on the moor tonight, albeit mainly on the road. It was the 10th running of the Ilkley Incline, the course being just a single measured mile, but all uphill. I checked the records to discover that I was 4th in the inaugural running. I was 41st tonight! But it was still kind of fun and it looks like I won my age category. It sluiced down with rain just before the race, fortunately easing off for the event itself, before coming on again afterwards. I feel like air has been sucked in to the very deepest crevices of my lungs, disturbing tubes that have lay dormant, gathering cobwebs all summer. It doesn't necessarily feel like it at the moment (wheeze), but I'm hoping this clean out will be have done me some good!

Had a great time with the team last night at our birthday party and was going to reflect on that tonight, but I've got overtaken by events. I need to get a software update sorted out and I'm struggling with it. For now I can only offer loads of thanks for another tranche of wonderful comments on yesterday's Gateway to Freedom. It gave me a great deal of pleasure too! I appreciate the feedback so much that it's very frustrating that I've got no time right now to reciprocate. I'll get there eventually.