By: Blonde Two

I have been planning this blog post for ages.  Autumn is supposed to be my favourite season of all.  I was going to talk about cold walks under sunny sky, it nearly being time for gloves and happy feet kicking piles of crispy dry leaves.  You have to love a crispy dry leaf, there is nothing in this world like the feeling of it under your feet.  I have been known to turn around and go back a few metres especially to stamp on a particularly crispy looking dry leaf.

This Autumn, however, it all seems to have gone a bit wrong.  I can’t see any of the “mellow fruitfulness” at all – this year Autumn just seems to be a season of mists.  To be honest, I can’t really see anything much.  Dartmoor has disappeared from my view, I am reliably informed that it is still there hiding behind the “season of mists” (apologies to Mr Keats for pulling his poem apart) – but even when Blonde One and I went up to check last weekend, there appeared to be bits missing. For example, I didn’t get one glimpse of the North Hessary mast, Sharp Tor had lost its top and Two Bridges only had One Bridge.  (That last one isn’t strictly true but please allow me some poetic license.)

I am slightly aggrieved by our new weird but not at all wonderful Autumn weather but hope is not lost as we haven’t finished September yet.  There are, as in every situation, some advantages to a damp, dank, (any other word beginning with dan) Autumn;

1.  It is a busy work time for the Two Blondes and maybe not being able to see Dartmoor makes us long to be there less (not sure this is true).

2.  We are planning to go out and be “found” by Dartmoor Rescue again soon.  Those red jackets look even more exciting when they loom at you out of the mist.

3.  We wanted to go and do some night navigation to keep our low visibility skills up to date.  We can do this earlier and go to the pub after if it is misty.

4.  I can’t think of a number four.  Would someone turn the dehumidifier on please!