Country diary: The first beech leaves land without a sound

Comins Coch, Ceredigion: With the dew soaking my feet too, autumn is taking hold now, wherever you lookThe overnight rain was heavy but ceased abruptly, leaving in the dark stillness only the sound of dripping trees as the cloud moved slowly away. In the early morning light, the hills beyond the valley are crisply outlined, the suddenly cold air washed clean to give clarity and contrast. Lines of dense mist drift in complex shapes across the valley floor, lifting and fading only as the sun rises.In the low-angled sunshine, the points of dew scintillate on every blade of grass and spider's web - each node is enhanced and the whole curved surface creates a faint, blurred spectrum of colour. Yet, however picturesque this might be, dewed grass still gives you cold, wet feet, along with a grumpy assertion that the approach of autumn is now undeniable. Continue reading...