The diary has had a leaf fall theme lately. The high winds of Storm Bert have more or less bought that chapter to a close. Only the Oaks are stubbornly clinging on their leaves; they are usually among the last to drop.

 And another chapter is underway. Leaf litter has a dynamic ecology/biology of its own as fungi, bacteria and invertebrates go to work decomposing all that organic matter thereby enriching the topsoil.