Turning to autumn

Almost all of the grapes in the vineyards around the village have been picked now and I noticed this morning that some of the vine leaves are beginning to turn. There was an autumnal feel to the cooler air (only 24°C when I took this!), the end of our holiday and my return to work. Even so, I appreciate how lucky we are here. I was talking to a woman whose sister lives in northern France and she, apparently, has already had to scrape the ice off her car windscreen in the mornings. This never happens here - well, maybe once every fifty years or so. And we have the benefit of a 'second spring' at this time of year. After the rain we had at the weekend the roses in the garden, which have been dormant over the hot dry summer, are blooming again, we have lettuces to pick (a winter vegetable here because the summers are too hot for them) and we still have some summer peppers and aubergines too - the best of both seasons!