In the States they call this season “The Fall” because of the the fall of leaves. It seems to balance well: Spring and Fall. We in the U.K use the word Autumn from the latin Autumnus meaning a harvest time or plenty. The first picture is from St Helens Churchyard.
This golden tree is in front of the Old Abbey Buildings.
And these leaves are a few miles outside Abingdon at Didcot. Through the leaves can be seen the large chimney of Didcot Power Station A.
This is another view of the same chimney, this morning, just showing how big it is, with the Greenpeace protestors absailing down to paint “Blair’s Legacy”. I’m afraid it is all of our legacy – the way we burn fossil fuels….
Overnight, with an open sky, temperatures dropped below freezing for the first time. The first frost has been late in coming. It can be seen on the rear windows of these cars.
The first frost does speed up leaf fall.

A workman blows the leaves into piles at the Old Station Yard.

A notice says that if the horses become too friendly one can wave ones hands and they will move away. But the horses keep on grazing as I walk past.
There are a group of laughing children and adults on the opposite bank. They are laughing because a large fish, they caught, bit one man’s finger and escaped with a plop.
The church tower floats above the darker shapes of the almshouses and churchyard. Looking back into the sunset, from the bridge, the church tower is ink-black. Only the water ghosts the sky. I rest for a time, deep in reflection, before moving on past the Old Gaol and the Broad Face.

It must have been back in the 1970s that halloween “Trick or Treat” took over from Guy Fawkes as a way for children to beg extra cash or sweets.

The Trick, if there is one, is egging the car in the drive, or party string.
Centre Stage normally has dancing shoes and tutus and balloons, but has turned its window over to masks and dark costumes.
Just Toys have given over a window (behind a scaffold pole) to halloween.
And Lewis Baker has a large display of ghoulish masks and witches hats.

Sometimes its not just young children out with parents. But you also get teenagers with hoodies – and no costume, asking “Trick or Treat”.
And so there are door stickers or signs requesting no “Trick or Treat.” I heard on Radio Oxford this morning that the police may give on the spot fines for car egging, at least in West Oxfordshire.
Finally here is a picture of the Brewery Tap Pub. I do hope this has something to do with Halloween!!!

With Halloween nearly here, I’ve been around Abingdon and thereabouts and have seen a few pumpkin displays. Of those, my own personal favourites are:

In third place, carving Jack O’Lanterns, is Tilsley Park

In second place, and a little out of Abingdon but close enough to not make too much difference, is the Pumpkin Grotto at Millets Farm.

And my favourite is guess the weight of this enormous pumpkin at Fabulous Flowers.