Aye... the nights are fair drawing in.

Autumn is a short and subtle season in Orkney. Not for us the glorious colours of mass trees changing from green to bright golds and reds. More of a quiet shift of the green grass to soft browns and ochres.

The few trees we do have tend to turn brown rather than red, I believe it is the frost that causes the really bright colours and we don't get a lot of frost being surrounded by the sea. But even if the trees manage to change their colour it's only for a day or two before they get whipped off the trees as the wind gathers speed to blow us into Winter.

The other sign that the end of the year approaches is that tonight at 8.45pm the sky is dark and our little stove is glowing red. I guess we do get Autumn colour after all.