It's official. Autumn's on the way. The leaves are turning to their fall colours more quickly now, whirling and swirling, settling briefly then on in another dance to settle down to gently decay.
We saw geese at Brandon Marsh practicing their getaway.
The migration of geese is one of the great sights of autumn. During the autumn huge numbers of birds fly south, east and west around the British Isles, providing sensational sights.
Cobwebs are creating magical screen in the garden. Spiders leave fine silky threads behind them just about everywhere they go. They were very pretty with the early frost. You can't walk anywhere without these silky webs brushing on my face, getting entangled in my hair and clothes. And I love watching the spider checking out what they've caught.
Pumpkins also popping everywhere in the supermarkets. A bit early for Halloween don't you think.
Students returning for their new term. 
Imagine the population of Coventry swelling to 10k. 6k from Warwick Uni and 4k from Coventry Uni. No wonder we saw lots of lost-looking and new faces wandering loose in the city centre. Sightseeing obviously :-). Anyway, you've been sent to Coventry. Welcome and hopefully you'll enjoy your brief stay here.
On Tuesday, I spent half day at this Workshop. As I made my way to Scarman House, I smelt something decaying, musty and earthy. And at the base of these huge oak trees, I spotted this beautiful fungus. It's called Hen of the Woods (Grifola Frondosa).
What a pity I don't have my camera with me.
During the workshop, all I could think of was that mushroom, hoping someone hasn't kicked it. As soon as its over, I quickly make my way to see if it's still there. Yesss... went to my office, got my camera and snapped to my hearts content.
It's also the last few days of Ramadan. Muslims are encouraged to read the a whole section (juz) of the Qur'an (which is 1/30 of the Qur'an). Therefore the entire Qur'an would be completed at the end of the month. I cheated. I plugged my earphone and listened to it on-line (with translations) while working. Hey, I did my best. I listened to as many juz I could in a day and I'm pleased to say that it's my second reading. Hopefully, Allah will approved my contributions.
I spent the weekend packing my things for my trip back to Malaysia. I'll be flying home alone cos Kevin is still not well enough to endure the 15 hours journey. Although I'm soo looking forward celebrating the Eid with my family, I'll miss my darling hubby.
Today I made a Summer end chutney. I got it from the Internet. It's a great way of using up the last summer vegetables from the garden (tomatoes, cucumber, aubergines, courgettes), and mix with fruit and vegetables that need using up. In the fridge, I've the odd- peppers, mangetouts, sweet corn, onions, pears, asparagus, grapes. Add spices - ginger, cloves, nutmeg - with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Give it 3 months to mature.
Summer's End chutney
6lbs of fruit/vegetables
3lbs tomatoes - green or red, or mixture of both
4lbs soft brown sugar
1 lb dried fruit
2 pints vinegar
spices to taste
Chop vegetables finely and place in pot; add rest of ingredients and simmer slowly for several hours until thickened - when you draw the wooden spoon across the bottom of the pot, it should be thick enough not to run in and fill the space made. Stir occasionally. Spoon in hot, clean jars and seal immediately, or leave until cold and pot up then. Store somewhere cool and dry. Bonn Appetit.
And check this awesome macro shot of a Southern Hawker that Kevin took one lovely sunny afternoon at Brandon Marsh. It's so not fair, cos I was trying to work in the office.
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