Autumn has arrived

[Val_2]

After months of lovely hot weather and no rain to speak of, it has finally changed with a bang this morning. Strong winds and heavy rain for three hours now with no sign of any let up and its so dark indoors too. I hate the end of summer personally as I see all the leaves begin to drop, the last of the fruit falling and the non-stop trailers of chopped maize being taken to the farms for the winter feed to say nothing of the log deliveries locally. I also means I can't cross the fields which turn into a mud bath from the tractors so its back to pounding the tarmac for a few months for me and doggie apart from visits to the local beaches.

[Chancer]

End of summer? Ours has only just started [:D]

I have just returned from a 2 day cycling, kayaking and camping trip with the new intake of the lycée pro, we are always Lucky with the weather but this year was superb, it was even too hot to sleep in the tents with a trekking sleeping bag that in previous years I would have had to augmented with a silk liner and wearing some clothes.

What is really apparent is that all the off road tracks still are wet and muddy, muddles have still not dried after the whole of the summer.

It must make for a bumper crop of something, - but what?  

[Val_2]

Well here it is maize, acres and acres of the stuff meaning combiners working the fields albeit they are very small fields and then no end of very large trailers going back and forth with loads spilling all over the roads. When we first came here, I cooked some of these OH brought home from the fields next to his work, we couldn't even cut them let alone bit into the cobs and then my neighbour, when he had recovered laughing his socks off informed us they were special cobs grown for the animal winter feed only, not for human consumption. We did not let on the car boot was full of them so we had to dump them inconspicuously all over the show. That was a lesson learned. Winter cauliflowers are also doing well but like the artichokes,not sure how many will find their way to market if the growers continue their dissent and burn everything down and tip their produce in public places.

[idun]

We have had a marvellous summer too. Today it has turned to autumn and I love it. Nights drawing in the leaves changing, then most of the trees bare.

We used to have loads of maize fields near us in France, in fact the locals used to say not to build on fields that had had maize growing as the ground would be 'wet' and liable to flooding. I cannot say 'urban' myth, 'paysan' myth perhaps?[:D] I do know that most of the fields were on the main river's flood plain, not that I EVER saw it flood.

The maize crop always looked so dire when they started bringing them in. Dried out,  and the corn looking ready to drop; the leaves on the plant like parchment. And yet in comparison, all the cereal crops always look so glorious when they are ready. I have no idea why the maize is left so long, obviously not fit for the Geant Vert!

[NormanH]

Well after the catastrophic floods in the Hérault last Monday the summer came back with a vengence, with temperatures up to 27/28 and the sea at 22°

Looks like it will break soon though...

On the whole the worst Summer in living memory in the South.

[nectarine]

In the last few days our plum tree has sprouted new leaves and blossom! The lavender also has sprouted new growth and the garden seems to be reverting to spring! Very odd. But autumn is definitely here because we have our annual invasion of green shield bugs and black hoppity bugs.

[Val_2]

All logic has gone out of the window this year regarding the outdoor world. We had no wasps at all this summer until this week, a huge one flew towards me and it wasn't a hornet. My gladioli have just come into flower, the cherry tree started shedding leaves in July and everything has gone round once and started again with flowering and budding. Yes, my lavender has started to flower again too and roses are still going strong as are the main flowers for this region - Hydrangaea(Hortensia).  Its huge house spider season and prolific but as the saying goes, where you have spiders you have a good dry and warm house or they wouldn't be visiting. Even woke one night and a monster was 18" from my face on the side of my bedside lamp!

I never light the stove before end of October usually and hopefully it will be perhaps even later than this year if the sun returns for a few more weeks.

Those green shield bugs, are they the horrible stinky ones? If so, I find them on my washing, they must like the fabric softener smell or something

[Val_2]

Even more depressed now since watching Countryfile last night and the week's forecast showed the Jetstream has returned right over the UK and northern europe again and at this moment it is torrential rain and gusting winds outside after a beautiful warm day yesterday. Suppose we are stuck with the cursed thing until next summer again now.

[Pierre ZFP]

I'm 100% with you Val_2

A friend of mine says that Autumn is her favourite season, full of 'mellow fruitfulness'.  I just see it as the season of dying and decay and I can't wait until Spring comes round again.  Maybe it's because I was a Summer baby?

[idun]

[quote user="Val_2"]

Those green shield bugs, are they the horrible stinky ones? If so, I find them on my washing, they must like the fabric softener smell or something

[/quote]

We called them punaise, or punaise verte and should never be crushed![:-))]