After racking up a total of zero walks in July, August could only get better in terms of numbers, at least. And it did, with a single walk - but not until the bank holiday, which unusually was forecast to be sunny. Most unusual!

So after not making it down School Lane and to the River Trent in June, it was that direction that we headed in. And with the forecast looking like it might make the high twenties, we headed out earlier than usual. But already look at how blue the skies are.

There were definite hints of autumn on show - the haws turning redder and redder in the sun (I know that feeling!) and the decaying thistle heads looking majestic in the verges.

Looking very autumnal - haw berries and brown thistles with a field behind — CHURCH LANE

A decaying thistle with all its textures — CHURCH LANE

But it was great to see the blue skies, with yet more unusual looking clouds.

Looking across the fields with blue skies ahead — CHURCH LANE

The lane down to the Trent was the driest we’ve seen for a long time, which given that we’ve had so little rain over the summer months isn’t surprising. It’s very different to the puddle laden lane we walked down much earlier in the year.

the very dry path on Church Lane — CHURCH LANE

But while signs of autumn were visible, it was still shaping up to be a glorious day - and this view of the golden fields through the tree is my favourite view of this excursion. And then I noticed the funghi on the tree.

Looking through the tree canopy to the golden field beyond

The verges were still full of flowering cow parsley, which I’m not at all unhappy about.

As we approached the Trent it was clear a lot of the vegetation had been cut down, and it looked as if the jetty might be accessible. We needed to get closer to see for sure.

And it was, I hadn’t expected that. Though this was as close as I got to the water’s edge.

The view as we headed back to the village will always remain one of my favourite views, and we hadn’t even experienced this view before we bought our house - what an unexpected bonus!

As we headed back there were further signs of autumn - the elderberries looked lush and yes, there’s acorns visible in the trees.

It won’t be that long before the acorns are strewn across the path, and again - that’s something I’m not unhappy about. I love to see the seasons change, and I think summer into autumn is one of the most welcome, and most spectacular, don’t you?

Thanks for joining me for this update, if you enjoyed this post you may also like to see all of the posts in this series.