Celtic festival of Samhain begins, probably. A bit hazy, but assumed to be Celtic festival to mark the end of the growing season. Now to celebrate the farming year's end we have Hallowe'en, also a festival focussed on death. Quiet round our way, but this year we did get several sets of skeletally costumed children (the last two years we had none, and had to eat all the chocs ourselves. This year we were cleaned out, even the emergency Alpen bars).

On to November 5th, and the birth of the New Year with fireworks and bonfires. The weather was peculiarly warm around this week, leaves were falling and the dark closing in but the expected frosty mornings not in evidence. Plenty of rain though.