(Not) Throwing bricks at windows

Sooooo, I'm stood outside in the cold at a tennis tournament. Clearly not watching COG playing tennis as I have my head buried in this but that's ok because she prefers if I am here but not watching win:win.

She generally gets annihilated at these tournaments and I fail to see the enjoyment she gets out of it. But she does enjoy it, so I drive her to them, get bored and drive her home again.

What I do find interesting is watching the groups of kids hanging around between matches. The girls generally sit and watch but the boys need to 'do stuff'. The younger ones ride scooters around.  The older ones kick tennis balls in improvised footy, they 'short volley' balls in small areas, in fact anything to keep from being bored.

It strikes me that there is little difference between these kids and the ones in the streets at the back of shutdown factories throwing bricks at windows. They are all just keeping busy, killing the boredom.

So what is the difference?  Some of it is money, there is a fair or unfair share of X5s and iPhone 5s around here, but this isn't an expensive afternoon. It cost £12.50 for the whole thing no extras.  The cost of her weekly tennis in general is less than an average smoker's or drinker's habit or a weekly family trip to McDonalds. A trip to Starbucks would wipe the floor with a few weeks worth!

So I think a lot of the difference is parental time. Every child here has a parent hanging around.  Most look cold and bored like me. Some look like they are enjoying it, mainly the pushy parents, I hate the conversations with them:

"We are a huuuuge tennis family you know. Oh yes, we just adore touring the tournament circuit"
"hmmmm, great, fantastic" the flat sarcasm is unrecognised or ignored
"I love how they spend all the summer hols on the courts"
"COG spends most of it in bed"
Pushy Parent sucks teeth sharply "well, yes, sweetumns1 does like a lie in occasionally, but best discouraged we think. You could try evening coaching"
"I think that breaks her ASBO curfew"
Watch pushy parent check for X5 keys and zip handbag shut.

But that's just my in-house entertainment, I think they are really here for the same reasons as me. Knowing it is better to keep kids busy doing stuff or they will be off somewhere doing stuff we'd prefer they weren't.

There is one coach running the whole thing and my guess is he isn't making a whole lot of money out of today. My guess is he makes his money coaching one-to-one middle class, middle aged ladies that nag sweetums1 out of bed then like to lunch after a session with the coach.

I may be stereotyping a tad.

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Where's Kelloggsville?

No, I'm not in a crowd of Romans wearing a striped shirt.

I am doing a Parenting Teenagers course, I'll tell you all about it when I'm finished it.

I am trying to (re)do part of my Adult Leaders Qualification because I have changed sections and if you move, you have to retrain and prove you are capable.  Guiders are not just mums entertaining children, we have a full program, method of delivery, standards and rules. These are all common but change as the ages of the girls change and we must be fully up to date and able to deliver the program and be able to develop the girls we are responsible for.  So I have a bit of work to do on that right now too.

I am starting to plan our international trip to Europe next summer...did I mention I volunteered to travel around Europe with teenagers I don't know for my summer hols next year, and pay for the privilege! 

I have our County Leader's meal this weekend and the Big Gig in Sheffield next weekend.

I do this on top of working full time and running the family....

.....sooooooo, I think I am saying that the writing might be a little light on the page for a while because I am a busy Betty-Boo doing the do  earworm for you!

I'll leave you with my current favourite photos from one of our recent camps:

I call this 'spot the Ranger'.  There really isn't much to put between Senior Section and Rainbows.

COG ran her own craft table for Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.  I was impressed.

This craft she found funniest though, the little rainbows kept prodding her saying "'scuse me, 'scuse me".  Bless.

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Flowers, Rangers, Eggs

This week's Gallery is '8pm'

Monday night at 8pm is hard for me, I'm always tired and I have to turn on a smile to try to be the best leader I can be. This week is was hard after 3 hours sleep, a 3:45am start and 9 hour day without a break.

At just before 8pm I took a bunch of flowers to a Guiding friend who needed a cheer up gift.

Rush on to Rangers

Church hall.

Follow the gaggle in.

To build the highest egg tower we could.



















Yes, there was an egg in there!

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Other people's children and lectures

Well she's gone again, A tour of the trenches around Ypres and the Somme this time.  As usual it was a silly-o-clock start which meant I had no sleep up to 3:45am for worrying that I wouldn't wake up and then none afterwards as a went back to my bed with a cup of tea at 5:30 for fear that I would be late for work.  After the usual chaotic long day at work and now seemingly obligatory calls at home, I am exhausted and must now go out to Rangers.

Would like the world to stop turning just for a short while.

Being as I didn't have time to get involved in anything else I decided tonight to pull over on the drive home to stop some young lads in the process of throwing things at passing traffic and mainly the part of the game that involved them running into the traffic to retrieve them again to re throw.  I thought I was remarkably polite considering how tired I was and I was really surprised that they stood politely in front of me and looked suitably sheepish. I pointed out that throwing things (which it became immediately apparent were only snaps) at buses was a very stupid thing to do and had they thought about the consequences of a bus accident if they over distracted the driver.  The smaller lad who had been running into the road then declared he wasn't throwing them, only fetching they back.  I told him he was the biggest idiot as no one wanted to see him dead no matter how naughty he was.  And bless him, he still looked totally sheepish and embarrassed, so to finally put the nail in the coffin I correctly guessed their primary school, threw in the name of the headteacher and said I would be telling her tomorrow what they had been doing!  Poor mites look petrified, so I suggested they went to the village green to throw snaps instead of at the cars and they perked up a bit at the thought.  I was so impressed by their respect for me, how they listened to me and how they didn't try to argue or answer back, there is hope for the world and I think their parents are doing something right. I smiled at them as I drove off and they, all 3, looked at me and smiled politely too.  Bless them.   I would love to be a fly on the wall when the head tells them all off in assembly after I call the school tomorrow though!

I'm convinced what this country needs more than anything is a greater percentage of people that care to steer children in the right direction and whilst parents may already doing it well, you can't always be watching them all the time, but I still say it's ok for others to be watching and commenting too.  I know many parents will disagree with me and not want their child lectured by strangers.

Anyhoo, COG will soon be back and I'll be too busy lecturing my own again to be bothering yours!

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Which future would you choose?

There has been a lot of talk about HG Wells in the news recently and about his predictions for the future.  I don't know that they were outstanding visions, if we were stood in his shoes at that time, we too might be marvelling at the idea of a moon landing and newer types of warfare.

In the very early 1900's the concept of atomic energy was beginning to be understood so in 1914 Wells writing about the possibility of atomic bombs was forward thinking but not plucked out of thin air.

And in 1933 saying that there would be a world war within a decade was just something that many other people were also saying. We have a book published in 1937 called Hitlers Conspiracy Against Peace which basically maps out the path of world war 2.

So I don't think he was prophet or a seer, he was probably just a man that could see where things could go given the knowns at the time.  So maybe a futurist.

But standing where we are now what you you predict for the next 50 years?

To say that the world economy will collapse (within a decade) would not be beyond the realms of possibility.

Chip implants into our arms or hands for total security access or smart technologies.

Holographic 3D television.

Automatic cars - ones that drive themselves, yes they've been trialed but the full road reality happening.

Supersonic commercial flights (a blast from the past!)

So if you could peek into the future what date would you look in on?

HWMBO said he would go 100 years forward, COG said 36 to when she is 50 years old.  My original thought was about 30 years too.  I've always had a habit of reading the last page of a book before starting it and I think 30 years to go is hopefully still achievable.

How far ahead would you like to see?  Do you think you would be surprised by what had changed, what new inventions there would be?

I so want one of these now:

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Mission:Explore Food

I don't often publish reviews here, but given my passion for child development you will have to excuse me and let me share this one with you because this book is absolutely brilliant.  From the second I opened it I thought, 'blimey, this is good' and it just hasn't gone away.

This is a book that will teach them something but not be a lecturous bore, something they will read and not even know they are being taught, and this is going to help children develop a healthy relationship with food. About where it comes from - good and bad, what you can do with it - good and bad and where it goes - good and stinky!

Mission:Explore Food is a seriously entertaining and engaging book.

It does cover some cookery but it is not a recipe book! I mean interesting stuff like how to cook like a caveman or conduct a psychosoup traffic light experiment. 

It has 'data' on experiments with diets like how to be a vegetarian, a fruitarian or even a kangatarian (yes, you only eat kangeroos in that one!)

It covers waste - yes, even that type, and has a toilet roll test and one of my favourites the 'where has your bum been map' where you mark on the world map all the places where you've 'deposited' a poo!

This is a totally interactive book - not just a book you can write in - this has been put together by people that know the children of this generation.  They understand learning in chunks, short attention spans and constant movement and interaction.

I think it hits the age 5 to 12 perfectly but there may be mileage on either side of it and to be honest, I can't stop dibbing in and out of it as it sits on my breakfast table

Whilst I think children would sit and read it alone, this book offers opportunities for families to do stuff together with food, it's a wealth of activities on a plate.  You can use it to build up your relationship together whilst helping them to build a healthy relationship for food, and in this day and age - this is a lesson children need ingrained early - before the media pressures get to them.

This book has been put together by teachers, artists, therapists and explorers - The Geography Collective.  I think that they knew what they were doing and it shows.

So if you are starting your Christmas shopping and wondering what you are going to get them besides the plastic break it and throw under the bed stuff then here you are.

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10 in 10 years

At Rangers we have been encouraging the girls once a term to talk about their 3 month, 1 year and 5 year goals. It is good for their self development and sits nicely in that section of the Look Wider Programme. They don't necessarily maintain of log of their aspirations, I think it is just good for them to sometimes think in these terms.

There is a blog hop from CakePhotosLife about 10 aspirations for the next 10 years.  I think that being as I ask the Rangers to think in this way and recognise why it is a good thing for them, that this would also be a useful exercise for myself, but dang it is hard.  It should start with number 10, the one you think is easiest to achieve, working down to the the one that will take the most work, money or be just plain impossible.

So here we go:


10) Go on an International Trip with Guiding Unless my back gives up again this is going to happen in 2013

9) Do a Residential License.  I've done Pack Holidays for 25 years, I've done Guide Camps and now Ranger camps but I've always shyed away from the actual responsibility of holding a license, It's probably time I took the challenge on

8) Give up caring about blog statistics and simply enjoy sharing when I have time and something worth sharing. I suspect my guiding commitments are about to force my hand with this one, the challenge is accepting that is the reality

7) Lose the extra weight I've gained whilst being less active. Tough one, I've started to enjoy cake rather a lot

6 ) Return my back to full health and start running properly again. I want this so badly, it has that childhood Christmas Eve churn tummy feeling about it.

5) Reduce my work hours Not very likely unless I am made redundant

4) Do something like an educational qualification to boost my ego a bit. Sometimes I think my total lack of formal education shows and I would like to prove that I am intelligent really, but this always seems such a dull way to do it.

3) Go to Africa I have a friend set up ready to do this with me but we need to lose children and husbands first, so the opportunity is likely to be marred by sadness, so in truth I would prefer this to stay a dream.

2) Go on a hot air balloon ride (in Africa!) see number 3

1) Live somewhere that doesn't have a monsoon season but has snow at Christmas I suspect America is on the cards!

Simples.  I wonder how many I'll actually tick off?

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Camp Porridge

This week's gallery is Breakfast, and as I've mentioned before it is a very special time for me.  It started when I was very young when Dad and I made it our special occasion.  And it has remained one of my favourite things. 

Everyday we sit down to breakfast together no matter what we are doing that day.  It's something I made routine when COG was very small and because we don't break that routine it stays.  It's a chance for us to talk, to relate, to share. If it's Friday morning and we are all tired, wanting Saturday to be a day early, then we probably just grump at each other.

My most favourite breakfast is a relaxed 5* affair with papers and endless pots of tea and toast. But second to that I will take camp porridge.

They don't call me 3 Bowls Kelloggsville for nothing.

It may be because it's been stirred slowly for a long time by a sleepy Guide more intent on catching the early fire warmth than thickening porridge.

It may be the extra can of condensed milk that gives it that special camp taste.

Or it may be the wood smoke and the cool morning air that leaves you wanting something warm and sweet to start the day.  But I'll keep on eating it until the pot is empty.

Interestingly, I have no photos of camp breakfast at all.  I think it's because I'm a little cold, a little sleepy, wishing the kettle would boil a little faster, then sat in my camp chair, hands clutching a mug, hollering instructions to sleepy Guides or dizzy Brownies or sloth like Rangers.  The last thing on my mind is 'ooo, must take a piccy'.  In fact I find that a lot with Guiding, I am so there, in the moment that Social Media stops, the phone is unheard and the camera sits unused.

This is a good thing sometimes.

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The ultimate stress reliever

I'll be honest, I'd had a dreadful week at work, so stressful I had started to have palpitations and room spinning.

A weekend in the country was exactly the order of the day. 

In a field with 300 others!

Soooo, I may have spent the best part of 8 hours in a marquee with 2 sessions of 50 Guides, 1 session of 50 brownies and 1 session of 72 yes I said 72 Rainbows. Now admittedly, 72 Rainbows in a fairly tight space, all needing help with their fish template, straw threading and mermaid cutting is fairly intensive but...

...as always the company and the location sooth away the work pains and take me to the place that matters, the place that makes a difference, the place where there is a common aim, a common understanding and a sharing of the load.

GirlGuidingUK enables girls and young women to develop their potential and to make a difference to the world.

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Look, I'm about to not answer your question

I'm a glutton for punishment and I listen to politicians being interviewed on the radio throughout a lot of my work commute.  If you're into S&M, you too can tune into Radio 4 in the mornings.

All (and I do mean ALL) politicians seemed to have picked up on the fact that the best way to throw a listener off the scent of a closed question is to start it 'Look'

For example:

"do you eat eggs for breakfast?"
A simple closed question, the answer should start Yes or No.

"Yes I eat eggs or breakfast" or "no I don't." Simples. You might possibly push it to "I sometimes do". Actually, a politicians would never say "sometimes I do" if they can stick a twist in an answer.  The stock politician answer would be

"Look..........occasionally eating eggs for breakfast, and remember they were left on the table by the last administration, is something that must be considered as needing to be necessary in order to get us out of the residual breakfast leftovers that we inherited, so it is fair to be discussing egg eating after waking from a deep sleep, whether that applies to post a light sleep is something that isn't yet legislated for for, I am committed to finding the best possible eating solution and applying that at the appropriate time"

Look says neither yes nor no and providing it has a lengthy pause after it, followed by a convoluted speech that ducks and dives a bit, nobody will have a clue whether you were answering in the positive or negative.  Well not without dissecting the statement sentence by sentence or even clause by clause and to be quite frank when I start to want to do that I think I may actually have lost the will to live.

"do you think you will carry on blogging K?"
"Look......blogging in its rawest form can have a healthy take on any lifestyle despite the technological difficulties being carried over from previous decisions, the legacy of which will continue to affect the future should the most appropriate decision at the time be along those lines"
"So, you are saying you will continue for now?"
"Look....there is a past history of the blog that presides and looking forwards could be seen to influence decisions that may be forced upon us in the entities existence period."
"was that a yes?"
"Look....."

and so the non-answer rolls on.

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The Ugly road to Beauty

This week's Gallery is Beauty

It was fortuitous that I had a hair appointment booked this weekend. Ideal for the gallery theme.

If I am brave enough to share the ugly that resides in a hair dressers.

Oh, in for a penny, in for a pound.

And let's be truthful, nobody looks their best at this time in the morning, without makeup and foiled up, even by ipad reflection.

Except the hairdressers themselves, dang those girls are always so glamorous

and it is all the more emphasised by the ones of us not looking our greatest sat in front of them.

I was feeling a whole lot better once completed.

Even still makeupless.

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Perimenopause AKA PMS from Hell

Someone mentioned to me recently that their PMT has been getting worse over the past 12 months and it started me thinking about how what happens to 'middle aged' women is not openly discussed.

Oh the TV is full of a man's midlife crisis, the motorbikes, sports cars and a new women that looks remarkably like the old one did 20 years ago. All in the name of the big cover up for hair loss, getting up in the night to go to the loo and the flagging sexual prowess.

But whilst the women's sexual peak is really just hitting home there are other things happening that just aren't acknowledged in common discussion.  Perhaps is part of this society's need to deny the aging process and age is now synonymous with failure not experience and wisdom.

So whilst the average 40 year old women is capable of whipping up a frenzy in the bedroom she is also dealing with PMS/PMT symptoms magnified beyond her 20 year old self's wildest imagination. And the time period that the PMS is around each month increases too, In fact mine has become 2 distinct PMS times a month now, I'm now capable of multiple PMSs!

They aren't just difficult for those around to understand, it's hard for the women to explain what is happening to herself too.  That mood is there, the close to tears, angry, intolerant, impatient, perhaps depressed state that sits like a mist in the mind.  And whilst the logical, rational self knows that this is a mood, a semi-temporary state, it does not change the fact that it is there and all the positive, self helpy, rationality in the world will not change it.  It is a state of the body, not the mind.  Those suffering are not neurotic failures, they have a natural state that might need some help to rebalance but it should be acknowledged as a medical state.  If her leg was bleeding you would bandage it, this is no different.

Let's add to that the hot flushes, these don't just come with menopause,. They can start much earlier than that, mine started at about 35.  They are quite incredible how they occur.  A sudden intense heat inside, sweat literally running off you, down your back, wetting your clothes.  Give me air, please, can't concentrate, so hot and then it is gone.  People look at you gone out.  Although when it's happening at night it stops you sleeping and the tiredness adds to the PMS and the cycle continues.

Periods can start to get so heavy it becomes a challenge to managing life for a few days and life becomes arranged around it.  The tiredness before hand is a draining "why am I soooooo tired?" and then the broken nights sleep again as you are getting up in the night to deal with it.

Shall we talk about water retention that even if no one else can see it, makes you feel ten times bigger, and you start buying different sized bras for different times of the month to contain the boob growth.  And don't get me started on breast pain.  Pain so bad, sleeping in a bra is the only option and someone pushing passed you in a shop can make you wince.

It's taken me a long time to find a way to rebalance my body to alleviate the very worst of these symptoms and bring it all back to something I understand and can manage.

For me some of it is about diet.  A lot is about exercise.  But mainly it has been about supplements.

For boob pain it is of course Evening Primrose Oil. Despite a number of doctors shaking their heads in disbelief when I have told them how much I have to take, I need a minimum of 3000mg every day permanently to stay on top of it.  I still get some but it is back to the tenderness of PMSy boobs I remember from my younger days, not the raging swollen, 'do not come near me' pain. 

I think Magnesium, Zinc and the B vitamins are huge players in the management too.  For a long time I was taking these supplements separately plus a multivitamin, then I found a supplement with everything in, including the usual recommended supplements you get in most flash fighters.  The ones I take have:

Vitamin A 800mcg (100)
Vitamin B1 2.2mg (200)
Vitamin B2 2.8mg (200)
Vitamin B3 32mg (200)
Vitamin B5 12mg (200)
Vitamin B6 2.8mg (200)
Vitamin B12 5mcg (200)
Vitamin C 120mg (150)
Vitamin D3 10mcg (200)
Vitamin E (Natural Source) 24mg (200)
Biotin 100mcg (200)
Folic Acid 400mcg (200)
Calcium 320mg (40)
Chromium 20mcg (50)
Copper 1mg (100)
Iodine 150mcg (100)
Magnesium 187mg (50)
Manganese 2mg (100)
Selenium 55mcg (100)
Zinc 10mg (100)
Soy Isoflavones Extract 40mg
Flax Lignans Extract 50mg
Sage Extract 50mg

For me (please remember we are not all the same and I saw my doctor and had hormone level tests before taking this supplement, some herbal remedies can interfere with other medications and you should always consult your doctor first if in any doubt)  this has been my saving grace.  If you are interested, I use MenoSerene from Healthspan.  But I guess most of the off the shelf tablets aimed at this market are going to be similar.

The steroid injections I have been having in my back have played havoc with my hormones and changed the balance for a while.  In fact they stopped my periods completely and the hot flushes, everything and I think I might have had a sweet taster of what the menopause will be.  But once all returned back to perimenopause state, I am reliant again on my supplements to control the physical symptoms whilst I learn to acknowledge the mood changes.

Those of us in this boat right now probably know already that feeding the PMS chocolate cravings with chocolate isn't the right thing to do and that coffee is only going to make it worse but sometimes I am going to dunk a bar of chocolate (or 2) in a big frothy coffee and scowl and probably shout about something totally insignificant (at any other time).

And in the same way that we middle aged women accept the motorbike buying, paunch growing guy it would be very very nice if he could perhaps duck the mood, gloss over the bloat and pass a hanky for the tears.

Whilst the world appears ready to listen to Pele advertising erectile dysfunction it is clearly not to be ready to move away from the skippity young girl tampax ad into the world of the Perimenopausal women, you won't catch the sex in the city girls discussing plucking chin hair or how long super absorbent plus can truly last.

Whilst we wait for the world to catch up, we will simply just have to feel a little better knowing that we at least understand each other:

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The Movie Test - The Maths

Following on from posts like  'As I was going to St Ives' see the maths label to the right  it is time to watch numbers dance again.

The Test goes like this:

This math test will determine your favourite movie. Amazing!
This is pretty damn amazing. Mine turned out to be “Shrek“. That’s my favourite movie! I was surprised how this worked. Be honest and don’t look at the movie list till you have done the math!
Try this test and find out what movie is your favourite. This amazing math quiz can likely predict which of 18 films you would enjoy the most. Don’t ask me how, but it really works!

1. Pick a number from 1-9.
2. Multiply by 3.
3. Add 3.
4. Multiply by 3 again.
5. Now add the two digits together to find your predicted favourite movie in the list of 18 movies after the break.


Movie List:
1. Gone With The Wind
2. E.T.
3. Blazing Saddles
4. Star Wars
5. Forrest Gump
6. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
7. Jaws
8. Grease
9. The Joy of Anal Sex With A Goat
10. Casablanca
11. Jurassic Park
12. Shrek
13. Pirates of the Caribbean
14. Titanic
15. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
16. Home Alone
17. Mrs. Doubtfire
18. Toy Story

OK, so you get it right? Really the first part should say: 'pick a whole number between 1 and 9', that makes a big difference. But based on a whole number, look:

x is the number you picked:
1. x
2. 3x
4. 3x + 3
3. 3 ( 3x + 3)
4. 3(3x + 3)

3(3x + 3) =  9x + 9  or 9(x + 1)

The method will always give you a multiple of 9. The sum of the digits of all multiples of 9 between 18 and 90 is always 9 if you've ever done your 9 times table on your fingers you know that already!

So, want to know how you can not appear to be a total pervert and get Casablanca?  Try Pi (3.14)

3.14 gives an answer of 37.26. 3+7 =10

Want Shrek?  Try  9 1/3

So you see, fractions mess the joke up nicely.

By the way, want an easy way to remember Pi:

How 3 I 1 Wish 4 I 1 Could 5 calculate 9 Pi 2

No worries, you can thank me later, you go watch your film now!  or if you don't fancy The Joy of Sex (with a Goat or otherwise) then try this:




(My source for the Movie Test was here, and if you fancy a laugh go read the comments and my source for Tau was here)

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Memories Triggered by Smell

I was out walking this evening when I was stopped in my tracks by a smell.  It immediately took me back 30 or more years. I was invited out one Saturday evening by a friend and her family.  We went to a country pub, it was those days of parents inside and children outside.  There was a park not far away and I recall me and my friend on the swings going so high I could see over the golden stone walls into back gardens. 

As the golden sun sank, the walls of the pub went a deeper orange and the evening chill started to dampen the air.

I thought it was all just perfect.  I'd never been anywhere like it before,  our family didn't really have the money to be going out like that and it seemed like a different world.  The whole village was so lovely. I couldn't believe we were close to home and not away on holiday. And tonight, as I walked, I suddenly smelt that whole wonderful memory and how fantastic it all felt came back to me again.

Sometimes now when I am out and about I wonder where we were.  I had thought maybe we were in Rutland, but I actually suspect we were either in very South Leicestershire or Northamptonshire.  Both have some of the most beautiful villages and country pubs to match.

I really can't understand why people go to the Cotswolds to fight for parking spaces and crush with the Americans when it is right here in the Welland Valley but without all the fuss and commotion.

Just us, a couple of pubs, some damned fine restaurants and the odd penchant for kicking bottles around...








...actually if you fancy a bit of peace and quiet probably best not come to the Hare Pie Parade.

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Growing Up Too Fast

This week's Gallery is Back to School.

Like many mums, I find this a very difficult time of year.  The inevitable march of time that gets faster year after year. 

 This is one year ago exactly.

The change to this year is marked, she is no longer looking like a child.

How did those years go by so fast? She was a baby in my arms, I turned away for a second and when I looked again she was grown up.

 

I decided for this gallery it was time to update my 'Growing up too fast' video.

 

 

 

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It's all so beautiful

These late summer, early autumn evening are just the most beautiful time of year.

The lush greens are starting to fade and the golden browns begin to soften the views.

The golden crops, despite the dreadful weather we've had, are ready to come in.

The farmers work long hours.

The combines work late into the night.

The dust's up, the pollen's up, it's loud but it really is the most beautiful sight, smell and sound.

And above it all the V's of birds start flying away.  Always a sign that it really is the start of autumn, the golden season of chilled mornings, warm afternoon sunshine and wood smoke evening.

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