Falling

Hello and welcome to October's Photo Challenge. Yes, yes, yes, it's my Autumn Almanac. Whether you're of the opinion that this most beautiful of seasons starts on 1 September or on the Autumn Equinox a couple of weeks later, I think both dates have been shunted back this year as a consequence of just how fucked up our Summer has been. That said, it's not stopped you from sending me some beautiful photographs. Thank you, as always. And a special thank you to Alfa Dave who provided the prompt for this month's challenge. If you have an idea for a future PC please do let me know. For fear of repetition, deviation or hesitation (but mainly repetition) feel free to look at previous challenges in '23, '24, '25, and those covered earlier this year.

Rol is feeling Autumnal, I can tell. He's even strayed over the West Yorkshire border: ''Hi John, some Autumn pics taken in the Lake District.'' Thank you, Rol. I'm sure you'll be back in God's country before too long.

David Cooper next: ''Hi John, as usual, three me - all have been taken very locally. David.'' Cheers, Coops. Lovin' the spider web.

It's lovely to have Jo Shreeve back: ''A pumpkin patch at Trevaskis Farm between St. Ives and Truro.'' 

 

''My attempts at pumpkin growing - this year's batch is better than ever!''

''And Wells Cathedral between the Autumn trees x.'' Thanks, Jo! Wells Cathedral gets you a podium finish, for sure. You also have some serious looking pumpkins there. And thank you for providing our one and only scarecrow!

Claire says: ''Make room for the shrooms! (and always forage responsibly).'' Nice one, Claire. Any of these edible? I'm guessing not.

Johnny Legs: ''Autumn leaves.'' Cheers, Legs. Glad to see it's not just me who points their camera up.

Miss Turner with a double header: ''An Autumnal bottle of gin won as a raffle prize, and an Autumnal insect.'' Thanks, MT. I'm guessing the critter didn't come with the hooch?

Ernie - ''Here's a couple of shots of Kaunas in Lithuania taken one October.'' Good work, Ernie.

Tim from Hucknall's got a tasty quartet: ''Hi John, here’s a quick handful that hopefully hit the Autumn brief:

1. Textbook unoriginal leaf shot, I do like the texture & colour though.

2. Eldest daughter & fiancée giving off Autumnal vibes in Wollaton Park.

3. The beech woods at the back of us over the M1. Stunning at all times of the year but peaking in Autumn.

4. Taken in September so must be Autumnal, this years velour chair crop growing in the field to the west of Hucknall, ripening nicely to a dusky red and almost ready for harvesting. Very much like mushrooms you can’t predict where the spectacular growth will next appear. This number doubly impressive as it swivels to maximise the amount of sun its flowering head receives. Tim.'' 

I asked Tim if the velour was native to Nottinghamshire and if so had he seen any more examples? His reply came back quick as a flash: ''It does appear that the bulk of the UK's free-range chair crop is generated from Hucknall and its environs - here's another one ready for harvesting.'' Superb stuff, Tim! Strong Autumnal chair game!

Both The Swede and I have been blighted by technical gremlins of late and as TS told me ''I was on the verge of throwing my laptop out of the window when these photographs wouldn't send.'' I'm glad you persevered, TS. Your Autumnal walks look delightful.

Pete Zab: ''Hi John, I had hoped to provide some new pictures for this but circumstances have prevented it. So, I've had to dip into the archives - Fallen leaves, Woodthorpe Park; Floating Leaves, Nottingham Playhouse on an Autumn morning; Wollaton Park; and finally, Reflected Living - Woodthorpe Park.'' Cheers, Pete. I know Woodthorpe Park is your manor and is always  photogenic.

Swiss Adam dialing in from Manchester: ''Hi John, there's not much in the way of Autumn round here yet so I've gone back a year to October 2025 and this tree near our house which turned gold last Autumn. No filters, no FX.'' Thank you, Adam. The colour you've captured is, for me, the quintessential colour of Autumn. (If Riggsby's reading this he'll know the Pantone reference.)

Kate's just returned from the foggy, foggy dew: ''Looking into the mist at Mitchell's Fold stone circle.''

''October sun at Mablethorpe beach.'' (I've spotted young Harry! - JM).

''And lastly - Reflection at Newstead Abbey.'' Thank you, Kate. So glad Harry gets in to most of your snapshots!

Alfa Dave, thankfully without said Alfa this month! ''How about the Fall in Central Park?'' Absolutely, Dave! I see you've traded her in for a young filly...

Alyson from the Highlands kicks off with a belter: ''The first is from my series of 365 photos when I documented the seasons for a whole year. I loved the colours on this tree not far from us.''  (I know I said earlier that Adam had summed up the colour of Autumn, but this runs it a close second - JM.)

''And these long shadows are from a walk we went on the morning after a posh wedding.'' Thank you, Alyson. I thought I'd get more long shadows but I think you and Walt were the only two.

Matthew: ''First signs of Autumn? Here's three: swallows gathering for their journey south. They were about gone by 26 September, their numbers being boosted by our nesting facilities.''

''Shorts in the sale - a sure sign.''

''And pumpkins ripening.'' Excellent, Matthew. The shorts tickled me. 

Walter from Germany next: ''Hi John, here are some pictures I took a couple of years ago: a walk from the TV Tower in Stuttgart through the woods to the city, and snapshots taken whilst walking in the park to my reading mentorship early in the morning. Cheers, Walter.'' Danke, Walt; I'd recognize that shadow anywhere.

K from the Kotswolds with some pumpKins: ''Hello John, just two this month - a magnificent pumpkin in Valencia, c.2023. And then fast forward to this year, Casa K back garden and Catty K inspecting the UK entry: "Munchkin Pumpkin" indeed! K x. Thank you, K. Most excellent.

And finally a newbie: John (@JBC on Bluesky) calls himself a photographer and gardener. He shoots the natural world, mainly flowers. I love his stuff. And I love this photo of ''An Autumn day on Lake Tugalo at the end of the Chattooga River between South Carolina and Georgia.''

And a map from me to give a bit of context to all the above locations. I didn't ask John if he caught the last train to Clarksville after he took this photo (only an idiot* would ask that kind of question). Thanks, John. I love it when newbies stick around, so maybe we'll see you again next month?

* Which doesn't necessarily rule me out. 

Before we get the leaf blower out, just time for a few of mine. First off, a team huddle at Nottingham Moderns in Wilford this weekend gone.

Yep, it's that tree.

The Promenade, Victoria Park in Nottingham.

From our recent visit to Barnard Castle.

A bush with orange things on.

Barnard Castle again.

A fallen leaf.

And finally, an Autumn flag in Kirkcudbright.

...

Sunrise/Sunset Reprise

Before I go, just time for a quick plug for the ad hoc series we run in conjunction with Photo Challenge. You see a nice sun in the sky, ping it over to me and I'll post it. My friend Neil was recently in Grenoble for a friend's wedding and he saw this. Thanks, Neil. Fabuleux!

And that really is it. Thank you to everyone for their amazing photos. I'll post November's theme in the comments below in a day or two.