short break away with our caravan, at The Millpond, Little Tarrington, mid-way between Ledbury and Hereford. The benefit of being a passenger is that I spent the whole of the journey home delighting in nature's rich tapestry of autumn colours, as we travelled through heavenly Herefordshire, glorious Gloucestershire and wonderful Worcestershire. Even Birmingham looked pretty beautiful. In the bright sunshine, and under a cloudless, blue sky, the reds and golds of the trees were the best I've ever seen. This was possibly due to the sudden drop in temperature the previous night, but more about that later.It t
urned out to be a good first time camping experience for our friends D & D, who joined us there in their newly acquired mobile home. Apart from some heavy rain during the first night, the weather was perfect, with blue skies and bright sunshine.
urned out to be a good first time camping experience for our friends D & D, who joined us there in their newly acquired mobile home. Apart from some heavy rain during the first night, the weather was perfect, with blue skies and bright sunshine. On Saturday, we all visited the Taste of Herefordshire Food Fair, which was very enjoyable if a little over-crowded, so much so that part of the marquee floor had collapsed. There was lots of food and drink sampling, and we returned with bags of goodies. D & D were impressed with the site, set as it is amongst lots of trees and on the banks of a very attractive lake, and were sorry to be leaving, as they set off home on Sunday.
We stayed on an 
extra night, and what a night it turned out to be. We were told that it reached minus 5 degrees, and although we were warm enough under our extra duvets the air around our faces was freezing. It was a pretty unpleasant experience to have to get up in the morning. The windows had frozen up inside and the gas had frozen, so we couldn't turn on the heating (we will be changing over to 'red', as recommended by other campers), the nearest water taps had frozen, and as the sun gradually melted away the frost, the warmest place to stand, clutching our mugs of tea, was our little light weight porch awning. Still, we have now experienced our first night in a frozen metal box. We'll change our gas to the one that doesn't freeze up, buy a litte electric heater to supplement our gas-only heating and, in future, it would be a good idea to keep some form of heating on during the night if we are to expect sub zero temperatures - even for hardy folk like us! Once the frost had melted, it was warm to be outside in a t-shirt - well, for me.
extra night, and what a night it turned out to be. We were told that it reached minus 5 degrees, and although we were warm enough under our extra duvets the air around our faces was freezing. It was a pretty unpleasant experience to have to get up in the morning. The windows had frozen up inside and the gas had frozen, so we couldn't turn on the heating (we will be changing over to 'red', as recommended by other campers), the nearest water taps had frozen, and as the sun gradually melted away the frost, the warmest place to stand, clutching our mugs of tea, was our little light weight porch awning. Still, we have now experienced our first night in a frozen metal box. We'll change our gas to the one that doesn't freeze up, buy a litte electric heater to supplement our gas-only heating and, in future, it would be a good idea to keep some form of heating on during the night if we are to expect sub zero temperatures - even for hardy folk like us! Once the frost had melted, it was warm to be outside in a t-shirt - well, for me. Once I'd emerged from our frozen caravan, I enjoyed taking photos around the pond, including this close-up o
f tiny toadstools and lichens on a frosty log. The vibernums were particularly colourful, and the berries looked like little jewels.
f tiny toadstools and lichens on a frosty log. The vibernums were particularly colourful, and the berries looked like little jewels. Passing the orchards, on the way home, I couldn't help noticing how many apples lay on the ground under the trees. It seemed such a waste. I wondered if they would be gathered up at all, or would they just rot away. It's been such an excellent year for fruit.
Our youngest son, who has been travelling the length and breadth of China in the course of his work, will be flying home from Beijing in a day or so. I notice the temperature there is somewhere between 11 and 15 degrees, so not too different to ours. Hopefully he had moved on from the south of the country, before the predicted typhoon hit. We are looking forward to hearing all about his experiences when he returns.
I will be too busy today to visit the plot. The weather isn't too inviting anyway. When I was last down there, I noticed rips in the long fleece cloche, covering my newly planted cabbages. I was about to attempt to repair it when the whole cloche began to shake and from the far end a cat ran out. As I was a bit pushed for time, I just threw an old rug over the end, but I doubt if that will have done the trick. I'm expecting my cabbages to have been flattened.
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