Cold winds and golden leaves

well, it had to happen. Summer (Ha! what summer) has officially gone and the cold Autumn winds and dark nights are here. This morning when I woke I checked the themometer and it said 1.5°C. That is definitely not aiding me in my battle to get out of bed.
But I actually like this time of year. I like watching the turning of the leaves, I don't much like picking them up once they've fallen, but I enjoy the colour change. I also like the dark nights. This time of year is when I start to marvel at the number of stars in the sky. I am very fortunate to live up here in the wilds of Aberdeenshire. There is very little man made light in our area. (There is one street lamp and if you ever come and stay with us, I'll point it out. We're quite proud of it.) This darkness means that on a clear night we can see millions upon mill lions of stars. I'm not exaggerating. You'll be staggered at the number. One day, I'll take a picture and you'll be amazed too. Also autumn and winter is the best time to see the aurora borealis or Northern Lights. Its not often seen, but there are enough to make it worth having a quick peek out at night. If you don't see the aurora, you might see shooting stars or hear the owl and the bark of the roe deer.
Dark nights aren't that bad, especially if you have a warm house to retreat to when it gets too cold.

pete