Autumn

 
Being a grandparent allows you to behave like the worst parent ever. As we passed the local frozen yoghurt café, my two-year-old said, "Ithe kweme, please! Please, an ithe kweme!"
His winsome lisping for ice cream on a cold evening in the middle of October could only be ignored by the hardest of hearts (= his parents') but his grandparents - my visiting father and mother - are just suckers for his big, blue eyes.
"Ah, Lord above!" they cried, "Would you not get the child some ice cream?"
as though we'd been denying him life-saving medicine, rather than unseasonal frozen yoghurt.

The look of triumph on a dirty face.

Autumn is well and truly here, and some days it feels like we skipped ahead to winter already. Let me show you what we get up to on our daily walks ... but be warned: I'm going to show you some pictures of scary mushrooms, but they'll come at the end of the post and I'll warn you in advance.

Acorn collecting - and every acorn has to have a hat.

Earnest faces in unusual places.

What better way to advertise a wine merchant's than with a big bunch of golden grapes?

While father and son explore the playground...

... baby sleeps and mama knits.

"Hello, cat!" ("Get lost, boychild. I disdain to answer your grovelling for I am a FELINE!"
My poor child has a lot to learn about cats, I fear.)

 Now: the scary mushrooms. Click away if you have a fear of fungi.

Why am I so grimly fascinated by these?

I hope you're having sunny autumn days, wherever you are!