Time waits for no-one (ta to M.Jagger-K.Richards)

I went ten miles to Gloucester station this morning, because there would be a person at the ticket office today, having going to our local Stroud station yesterday when there was no-one there. I needed to buy a Senior Railcard to accompany my bus pass in my wallet. I also read online that a three year Railcard was much cheaper. Good. But "the person" (who was very courteous) gave me the bad news that I could only buy the three year card online. But I needed my Railcard now, to buy my Club55 cheap ticket to London today, so more money down the drain. Joining up the thinking was the mantra I thought we all now understood; I was forced to remember my old friend Chris Malone's lesson to me on the first day of working with him in 1983 ? "Do not assume anything". I am sooooo stupid!

Niggle over. On the way into Gloucester, I passed the very sad sight of The Knoll, a small, traditionally built A-frame roadside cottage built in the 16th century, I am guessing. It's timber beams exposed between white plaster work, now breaking off and damp getting in. It is all boarded up, neglected, and rotting whilst the owners, a major Care Home built in this old house's grounds, wait for it to fall to bits, so they do not have to repair this possibly Listed building. Imagine if they treated their elderly residents like that. Perhaps they do.

Home to a coffee and preparing for my imminent trip to London, to stay with my old mate Ian and then a day's work tomorrow, down near the Elephant and Castle.

I only have days left to record these colours as the Rhus, which I mentioned a couple of days ago, is shedding it's load fast. I am not at all happy with the quality of this recording, but I have to use it because of the subject. It is so interesting to see the way the green chlorophyll is receding back into the tree's veins, then branches then roots; it's preparation for survival in winter is to go back underground leaving the colours within the leaves amazingly vivid as celebrations for the passing of the year.

Normally if I was out here taking this shot, I would find Bomble scrambling up the trunk to use the branches as scratching posts and then to mark it as his territory. But he is asleep and can't be bothered to keep me company. Boo-hoo.

Roll on my new camera.