HERE we are in October and the air is beginning to gain that autumnal chill while the leaves are starting to take on colours other than those on the green spectrum.

Last week, Keith and I managed a couple of pleasant tandem rides, one of which took us over Barbon Dale and was especially memorable.

Although the weather is a little chill I’m not quite ready to pack away my cycling lycra yet. I have had to put on my vest but I‘m still holding off on the woolly tights for the moment. But before long I must make a start on packing away my summer clothes. I have done this every year since goodness knows when.

I have rather a large collection of clothes and as I hate to part with anything unless it’s threadbare or it can not be turned into something useful there‘s a lot to do. I remember packing away my children’s clothes when they were young.

I’d look at their pretty little dresses and tiny shoes and a tear would spring to my eye because sadly the children don’t remain tiny for long. Most of their clothes had been hand made by me, prompting my eldest daughter to request a shop bought dress for her 12th birthday. Honestly, the sauce of the girl!

I enjoy clothes - summer clothes the best of all. I find bright colours irresistible and I’m rather fond of floaty fabrics, sandals, and not having to wear a coat or carry an umbrella.

Well, maybe one has to stick with an umbrella living here. So it’s into the bottom drawer with my favourite white jeans, my gorgeous green handbag, my especially impractical platform sandals which lift me by four inches and offer me a little elegance something that normally alludes me due to my being vertical challenged.

Mind you, I’m not partial to being too warm either. My daughters, being used to the warmer southern parts of this island, tend to have their central heating just a tad below tropical as soon as autumn arrives. This means when visiting them I can still wear my summer clothes.

So perhaps I’d better not pack them all away.