This month not only is this post almost on the schedule I set myself it covers three separate walks - all of which took us in different directions, unlike last month’s post which only had a single walk. Some months are like that, and that’s ok. It’s also true that two of this month’s walks involved lunch out, once at the pub in the next village and another at the farm shop in the other direction - and that’s more than ok by me too.

Let’s start with a walk towards Elston, stopping briefly to admire the tyre track patterns in one of the muddy fields along Moor Lane.

Looking at the tractor tyre prints in a muddy field entrance — MOOR LANE

It was only the first week of the month but already the rosehips and sloes were very much in evidence - reminding me that last year I foraged some rosehips to bring inside, and which ending up lasting until Christmas and became part of my Christmas decorations. It’s a bit early for that, but Christmas preparations seem to get earlier and earlier each year - that’s definitely something you don’t want to ask MOH about - or maybe you do, who knows.

The leaves were already turning quite red in places and it was a joy to see - I think autumn and its leaves are one of my most favourite things, and these really did make me smile. The leaves in both of these pictures were glistening from recent rainfall, though thankfully the path itself was easily walkable and free from mud much to my delight.

Lunch at the pub was good too - steak and ale pies, and a much slower walk home. A few days later we were out again, this time heading down School Lane, along Church Lane and towards the River Trent, still dodging the puddles.

There were of course stops to admire the views and the plants growing in the hedgerows. And this time knowing that there is a jetty - we first saw this in June - we purposely looked for it, though there was a small gap there was very little jetty on show!

We stopped by the church yard on the way back to pick up some conkers - my forage activity for the autumn - and as the sun had come out also took a look inside. This statue on top of Baron Pauncefote’s grave is particularly impressive; as was he - he was the first ambassador to the US, who was buried here after dying in Washington in 1902.

Our third and final jaunt out involved more lunch and was one of those ‘break in the showers, let’s get out’ type of opportunities. There was a chance they’d start again at any point, but thankfully mostly held off. This time we headed down Moor Lane and then turned off towards Thorpe, retracing our steps later that afternoon.

Thorpe is a pretty village and even in October there were flowers in the gardens - and in the case of the hollyhocks escaping the gardens, that we passed.

Heading out the other side of the village these twin trees caught my eye initially but then I saw the gates, which immediately reminded me of the gates we’d seen while walking in Portugal.

On our return journey - and still managing to stay just about dry - we spotted some workmen at the top of one of the pylons. Definitely rather them than me!

And then we spotted clusters of mushrooms, and wished we knew anything about mushrooms - though I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to try any, even if I was pretty sure what they were - would you?

Thanks for joining me this month, if you enjoyed this post you may also like to see all of the posts in this series or some previous series where I revisit the same place - there’s my year in Greenwich Park and remember that time when I followed a tree?