Autumn fun

It was a warm though windy day today, and on a whim R and I decided to go to Croome; we usually avoid places like this at weekends and in school holidays, but this is such an expansive site that even though the car park was crammed, the park itself didn't feel overly busy.

In another couple of weeks the autumn colour will be lovely - provided the storm we're forecast to receive next week doesn't totally strip all the trees - but already today it was looking nice. The water level in the artificial lake and streams was very low, despite repairs having taken place to a leak, and I would think the estate will be hoping for a good deal of autumn rain, to refill them. I was also sad to see no dragonflies - until we were leaving, when R spotted a solitary Common Darter. 

I took several photos that I quite like during our visit, but the sight that charmed me most was this family having fun on the slope above the house. It made me nostalgic for the days when R and I would take the Offspring to parks and estates such as Croome, to run off their weekend energy and build happy memories.