The sky was such a deep blue this afternoon it seemed a deliberate act of one-upmanship against the previous two weeks of gloom. Talk about shooting fish in a barrel. An easy goal, beautifully fufilled.

The first day of Autumn…OK, not until 9:09 this evening, was spectacular. Still cool, but warming up over the next few days. The air is even starting to smell like rotting leaves and apples, which is incredibly evocative, of the rotting leaves and apples of my youth. When my sister lived in Virginia for a year, she said the east coast foliage was incredible, but she missed the smell of a northwest autumn. Must be the dead and dying poplar leaves. We’re a very smelly province.

It feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve walked through the river valley on my way home from work. As I mentioned in a previous post, it’s been a very busy and stressful month, and the weather hasn’t been particularly inviting. Now that things are quieting down at work, the weather has suddenly turned gorgeous. Perfect timing, although I think a few, long week-day walks, in spite of the rain and cold, would have knocked the frown off my face. Maybe.

Saw the Kingfisher again, in the same general area of Mill Creek. The Kingfisher is a migratory bird, so I suspect this might be the last time I see this stout little blue bird. Also noticed the seagulls are back on the island, suggesting that the Bald Eagle, sporting a brand new gull gut, might have moved elsewhere. Things are definitely on the move in the river valley.

6:00 PM/13C

Sunrise: 7:19   Sunset: 7:34