Lovers, tears and cascading leaves

Entwined and twisted into each other, long limbs clasping tight, 

wrapping the other closely. 

 Never to be separated until death.

 Linked. 

Timeless. 

Lovers in an ancient track watching as the world passes them by.

Beautiful.

We've been walking today - Sunday. A quiet valley nestling against a wild moor land. A cutting breeze seemed to slice through our fleeces and gloves, giving a sharp reminder that summer had gone and autumn reigns supreme. Colours of orange and reds were splashed across the hill sides and thick swathes of fallen leaves banked up again the lane edge.

When we had almost completed the walk, we meet two tearful women, a mother and daughter, each clinging to piebald cob. The older woman asked if we had seen another piebald and his mate - a dark bay horse as they had been fruitlessly searching for the missing pair.

We told them that had seen their horses at the far side of the huge field we had just walked through. Their relief was palpable. They began to babble an explanation to us as well as reassuring themselves about their worry that the bay had been shot before they could say their last goodbyes.

There were tearfully bitter comments about man who was to shoot their beloved animal, angry and hurt words.
He is not fit to keep the horse, he did not understand their  pain and love for this horse. He did not have a right to shoot this animal as it was not his......


'He' was the younger woman's father and the older woman's ex-husband. Oh what misery this divorce had created.

We left and they turned back to where we had pointed out the horses, determined to see the animal one last time before it's destruction and to find and comfort it's mate. Our happy walk seemed sullied by their sadness.

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Autumnal Recipe - cascading leaves

• Take one 'almost teenager' (but in self denial)
• Collect various autumnal leaves - making sure they are brightly coloured and differing sizes
• Have in your stash of sticks a particularly knobbly and interesting one
• Find a reel of white cotton

Tie leaves on to the cotton
Arrange the lengths of cotton then tie to the interesting and knobbly stick
Hang the stick above the glass doors so as the sun streams through, the leaves catch the light.

Stick the few remaining leaves with tape to the glass and down the wall to continue the cascade downwards.

Voilà - autumnal cascading leaves

And if you enjoyed this 'recipe' - you might like to check this one out too!