Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 17th September, 2023)

Still looks like the height of Summer we nearly had.
Still more, perhaps Autumn will not nearly be half as bad…. ……
Old time marches on and that is sad…
The seasons change and Winter draws on…but wait…..
Soon be Christmas…

What a lovely Autumn scene. It reminds me of the "What to look for in Autumn" book in the Ladybird Series of children's nature books from the 1960s, which I am lucky to have.....What to look for in Spring/ Summer/Autumn, Winter. The illustrations in them are beautiful, as is today's photo. Lovely, Poet!

Beautiful peaceful photo Poet.
Plenty berries on the trees to keep the birds happy during the Autumn and Winter months.

The flaxen field now is shorn
Of the rippling stalks of gilded corn ,
But heads down in the stubbly nails ,
Three black crows glean what remains ,

Beyond the hawthorn red with measles
And the clustering inky blackberries ,
Far from the bindweed in the brambles ,
Cawing and picking for hidden seeds

With ebony beaks cleave the land ,
Gifted by some unseen hand ,
The empty corvine bellies grow :
Though they neither reap nor sow .

Poet

Love it.

That is an absolutely top class photo Poet, a stunning shot.
Nights are drawing in fast as Autumn soon gives way to Winter, and yes soon be Christmas to look forward to.

Why should anyone be looking forward to Christmas, is just commercialised, how much money can we make out of customers and shoppers.
Xmas is not what it use to be, sadly. Do we really understand what Christmas day is all about....Rev David Long will know.

Best part is Christmas Dinner and drink. Christmas is about Church.

I like it when the nights begin to draw in....I hate it still being light at ten o'clock! But I am not a Christmas fan. Yes, I DO have a tree and all my decorations are original 1950s and 1960s and I have old-fashioned toys under the tree...a golly, a spinning top, a post office set and a 1950s child's paint-box, but it goes up AT CHRISTMAS. It drives me potty when I see Christmas Trees in windows in November! Let's just enjoy Autumn via Poet and our other p-a-d photographers whilst this lovely season lasts.

I always think of Autumn as Summer’s parting gift…Autumn in its turn gives way to Winter with its own magical gift…
(not the commercial aspect which I can’t stand..) Each season has its own merit if we look for it…. In the depths of Winter when Garry is poking that roaring fire and drinking sherry - we look to Spring…

Interesting photo Poet and with a superb blue sky, I did spot the Crows in the field gleaning the spilt grain, though with help from a magnifier.

I wish Summer would last forever and only go dark at midnight.
Do we still do midnight mass in Churches?

Am I the only person who dreads the autumn months ? I hate September and October, nothing to look forward to only the days getting shorter and shorter. Give me January and February anytime, at least spring is on it's way. My ideal calendar would be April, May and June and then start over.

Alan, my daughter lives on The Isle of Lewis and sometimes in the Summer months it IS still light there at midnight! Then it is light again in the very early hours of the morning so they hardly see the dark at all. To answer your question, yes, I think they do still have midnight mass in some churches.

Good question Alan..last year the Church I went to had the ‘Midnight’ service at 8 00 it seems to get earlier and earlier.
Derek B I think people who live in hot/ warm countries get fed up of that weather all year round. It seems we’re never satisfied…..

Never been to a Midnight Mass in Church, do the Churches still have them, I would presume Carol singing is order of Christmas eve to midnight. I remember seeing Churches open with the lights lit on Christmas eve night.

I would imagine Wigan Parish Church and in major Towns and Cities will still congregate for midnight mass. Its tradition for Churches and very important to Church people. After all it is the birth of Jesus Christ.
Good Question Alan.

Veronica do you mean 20:00 hours or 8:00pm, for midnight mass.

Its Mainly Roman Catholicism who still celebrate midnight mass, its tradition and very important to them.

Yes 20 00 hours last year Albert. It might be different again this year as we have a new priest.
It’s a few years since we had it at 12 00 Midnight.

Ann, nice to see you back. How are you? xx

I am fine Irene, if I am the same lady.
I live in Aspull.

Lovely photo poet. It's not just catholics who have midnight mass Kath. St Stephens Church of England has one at Christmas Eve. x

Many churches still have Midnight Mass,as Edna says,and not just Catholic ones.I think they may have brought the earlier time in,as in Veronica's case,because a lot of people don't like to be out so late in winter.All the seasons have their own beauty,but my favourites are Spring and Autumn.x

My apologies, Ann.....it is another Ann that I was thinking of, who hasn't been well.