Autumnal teenager

"And seeing the snail, which everywhere doth roam,
Carrying his own house still, still is at home,
Follow (for he is easy paced) this snail,
Be thine own palace, or the world's thy goal."
John Donne

A home day for me sorting out the odds and ends of a project. I caught the last of the sun's rays by cleaning the guinea pig eglu (it's just about warm enough for the guinea pigs to be outside and there's still plenty of grass to eat and lots of leaves that are just starting to get their crunch). I then turned my attention to the tomato plants, which had all given up and had turned to sticks with some green and orange tomatoes still attached. I shook out the compost from their roots and placed them on the heap. As I moved them, I disturbed all the creatures that had made homes amongst the pots - spiders, woodlice, worms and many snails of varying sizes. There was an abundance of very young snails, which I tried not to disturb. This pretty fellow caught my eye since his shell had more pronounced markings than most in my garden. I wasn't the only one whose eye was caught by a creature - a chattering robin appeared behind me with his mate and they started grazing the disturbed area for tidbits. For dessert, he flew into the apple tree and pecked at one ripe fruit, wiping his beak on a branch between nibbles.

Do you see the snail's shiny wee friend who's crossing the path behind him?