The first week of November certainly blew in with gusto bringing leaves and conkers swirling down and back breaking work for the Senior Partner and me.
Add to that a house front covered by an ancient Virginia Creeper resplendent in vibrant reds, oranges and yellows and there was no mistaking that fall had arrived in Normandy.
Strange looking fungi have appeared at the base of a damson tree, they look edible. Friends have identified them as honey fungus and advised me that they are not to be consumed!
Autumn has also made itself felt in the kitchen.
The last green tomatoes became a deep, rich and fragrant chutney.
Butternut squash, chopped carrots, whole garlic cloves and onions with a handful of dried mixed herbs,oven roasted in a delicious Rapeseed oil which the Senior Partner discovered at the Ludlow Food Festival in early September.
After roasting I blended the veggies with 2 litres of hot homemade chicken stock to make a deliciously rich soup.
The ideal antidote at lunchtime to hours of back breaking leaf raking.
On Saturday night I topped left over supermarket rotisserie chicken with a herby cobbler, a warming supper to be enjoyed by the fireside, watching Strictly.
I'm always surprised at how economical rotisserie chickens are compared to fresh, have you noticed that too?
Simple, heart warming, timeless.
These are some of the dishes I turn to at this time of year when the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting darker.