Saturday the day started misty and the sky has remained grey but, although the ground remained damp underfoot, the rain held off.

I was enticed outside by the cacophony of the Starlings, calling from the fir trees at the back of the garden, and the twitter of Sparrows which had amassed in the Elder tree. I took a stroll around the borders and was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the flowers are still in full colour, their red and yellow blooms mixing with the changing colours of the autumn leaves

 the Rudbeckia and the Sunflowers fill the borders with colour and last weeks sunshine has brought the Dahlia into bloom

and although the Hawthorn was sporting masses of bright red berries,

there were a couple of surprises which seemed, to me, a little unseasonal   new buds on the roses

and the bramble in the hedge    

I filled up the seed dispensers and, although the Starlings had moved on, the Sparrows and the Blue Tit stuck around for quick round of photos …