Late Summer

Although the weather is beautifully mild still, there are a few reminders that autumn is one its way. The nights are drawing in and we have to close the curtains much earlier. And there are less bees and insects around.

The butterflies especially are not nearly so prolific, but of course all the more precious for that!

There is a famous observation by Ralph Waldo Emerson along the lines of "if the stars only came out for one night in a thousand years we would sing their praises and stay up all night to catch the merest glimpse of this rare wonder. Instead the stars come out every night and we go to bed."