Early November

The woods near us are beautiful at any time of the year but especially so in the autumn and I wanted to share a few photographs. Now that we are both no longer working we are able to walk several times a week when we are at home and watch the seasons change.

Autumn is my favourite season, I love the colours of the trees but also the feeling that everything is quietening down for winter. No longer having to set an alarm for 6:00am, I am trying to slow down a little too.

A year into retirement, I'm still in the process of finding a routine to suit. To find a balance between going out, going away and filling the days because I have the opportunity to do so or staying at home and enjoying the house and garden. Between my preference for quiet time alone and the need to find new friendships and activities now that socialisation doesn't occur as a by-product of work. To decide whether to take part in regular activities such as classes or enjoy the freedom of not being tied to a time-table and being able to make plans at short notice.

I'm not sure I have it right yet but I am learning. When we are away visiting my mother and looking after her house, we add a couple of free days onto our stay and have a mini-holiday. The same when we visit our son in Edinburgh, a weekend with him, then a day or two to explore on our own. Also the importance of "white space" between activities at home, time to catch up and restore enough order to the house and garden to enable me to enjoy our next trip away.

These last two photographs were taken at the National Trust garden at Stourhead a couple of weeks ago. We made a stop there on our way down to Devon to visit mum - grateful for the opportunity to turn a routine journey into a day out.

Next up, a trip to Edinburgh where I am expecting the temperature to be a few degrees colder and the leaves to have already fallen from the trees.