My Mother's Birthday

[poliphilo]

We went down to Kent for my mother's birthday. She's 86. Autumn is coming on faster down there and my mother's wonderful chestnut tree is already dropping conkers. I picked some up and put them on the kitchen table but the lovely mahogany shine was gone by  morning.  On the evening after her birthday dinner I went out into the front yard to look at the stars and as soon as I stepped out of the lamplight I was afraid. 

Of the size of the night?  Not so much. 

Of things hiding in the bushes? Yes. As if I were living in the paleolithic and there were bears around. 

There was a pinkish streak to the north over London.  I didn't count the planes but there were a lot of them- blinking lights and steady lights- going this way, that way, high up, low down.

Comments

[mummm.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of Walnut and Butternut trees along the way as we walk toward the stadium at Purdue. Yesterday Robert kept warning me that I should be careful as they are like stepping on slick balls, especially as wet as they were! I love fall though.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Fall that is... NOT falling! ;-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Are they called butternuts because they're slippery?

[mummm.livejournal.com]

I think the name comes from their oily texture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_%28tree%29

Yesterday they were slick from the rain.