It has been raining all night and all day. The clouds are low over the lough and the mill stream is thundering dow the hill. Swirling currents and deep pools where a month ago there was only a trickle. The lane is now deep in fallen leaves and broken twigs from the recent storm. Yellows, greys and greens but so many shades. Often Autumnal colours are represented by reds, yellows and oranges  and there are the vibrant red and green combinations of the holly and its berries, the spindle tree and its bright fruit as well as the rose hips that are increasingly falling to the ground. But there are so many more subtle combinations. Acid yellow leaves mixed with ochre, moss green and bright yellow, vermillion stalks on  lime green leaves, deep forest green and palest  jonquil yellow. And that is only the colours. The textures of Autumn are very varied.

In amongst all these strong colour combinations there are the pale pinks of Herb Robert and Snowberry flowers and, as I saw today, some vetch flowers which usually don’t flower at this time.

There are wisps of sheep wool on some of the barbed wire fencing which look today like a line of soggy washing. The sheep are probably sheltering elsewhere.

Spiders webs hang from trees, not always easy to photograph when the light and the rain drops aren’t in the right place!

I had no idea how many different types of spider’s webs there were and that you can tell the type of spider by their web.

Interesting information on the British Spiders  website.

It had also, but should have occurred to me, that there is a difference between a cobweb and a spider’s web. Cobwebs, being dusty and abandoned are more in keeping with Hallowe’en or clearing out old attics!