The first day of September

There was a chill in the air this morning and a mist on the flood meadows. The year is on the turn and summer is slipping away. The hedgerows are full of the promise of abundant fruit and berries, and the first flush of scarlet and yellow is threading through the forest. The hob tells me he smells autumn in the air and feels the days shortening. But for now, while the sun is warm and the sky clear, we will work in the abbey gardens and sit for a while on the bench by the workshop door, to warm our bones.