Peak autumn

I think we've just about reached peak autumn here, judging by the scenes at Bolton Abbey at the weekend. There are as many leaves on the ground now as there are left in the trees. The colours have turned out to be surprisingly good, after a slow start. 

One of the things I had not expected when I moved house was to be gifted a new group of girlfriends. Many of the folk in the apartments in my block are quite frail and elderly. Some I've never seen at all, some I only see when they walk slowly round the grounds or take their rubbish to the bins. Everyone is friendly and I feel I'm beginning to get to know people, just from the brief chats we have in passing. There are, however, a handful of younger folk of my kind of age ('younger' being a relative term, given I'm in my early 70s!) and they have very kindly invited me into their friendship group. As I say, that's unexpected but very heartwarming. Thus it was that four of us took a trip out to Bolton Abbey for a walk and lunch, which was most enjoyable. It's surprising how easily and quickly 5+ miles (11000 steps, according to my phone app) pass when you're busy chatting! I didn't even stop to take many photos. These were just snaps on my phone.