Fall leaves continue to layer and decorate the ground. Walking to the market these days I can't avoid seeing swirling leaves and leaves that get lifted so near to me that I often reach out to grasp them, but usually unsuccessfully.  Autumn back home in my valley is fine and something I have always looked forward too, but here, in England it is so bolder, crisper and fresher. Experiencing fall, as I have read it to be in so many books as a child, has been so darn pleasant.
Well, going to the market is almost an every day routine and something that I enjoy, even without the use of an auto. On foot, observing what is occurring around me, I hear birds calling to one another and I pass cats sunning themselves near the front steps of their homes, along with the occasional squirrel hoping for a treat. I'm able to take in the rambling little garden plots.  It's so common to see mothers with tots in strollers and the elderly returning from their errands, and I often share my smile.

Past the flower shops, the barber shop and various other boutiques that are strung along the way, I go.  I'm carried along as if I too were a loosened piece of foliage caught in a teasing wind. A photo (the second photo is an obvious, amateur mistake) of a particularly charming garden pub. Its stone wall, quaint patio, and hanging flower baskets, containing begonias aflame with color, is to me like a familiar friend greeting me with welcome cheerfulness and brightness. The hustle and bustle of this small town is hidden for the moment, to be revealed as you reach the end of Primrose Hill road. (Walking uphill is a a fairly decent leg workout too.) Winds sneak by me and then are stilled, reminding me that winter will soon arrive and my walks and words may have an altogether different tone! Today, this Winnie the Pooh gal is content!