August and the "a" word

A dear friend of mine had an unfortunate liking for the word "autumnal".   Unfortunate in that she used to trot it out with regard to the weather when I was desperately trying to pretend it was still summer.   I thought of her today as I wrapped my (horrible) fleece around me and set off, secateurs in hand, to see what has been going on during the past few days.   The grass is certainly greener - and will need a cut for the first time in ages - but there is a distinct hint of the "a" word in the colours of the leaves and in the air...   But there is still a lot of colour as this view from the rose/herb garden shows.

 New dahlias are continuing to treat me (didn't realise I had so many white ones!) and I looked after them with a bit of dead-heading.   Diana's "Feuille" ceramic piece acts as a wonderful foil to their showy heads....

Saw three lily beetles on the regal lily foliage but only managed to catch one.   Oh dear....