David

Bright red berries on a butchers’ broom bush, and the spectacular autumn leaves on a liquidambar reflected in the lake, before those leaves were brought down by recent rains. Pictures takne late November.

Squirrels, or just possibly the same squirrel seen on two different occasions, by the Railway Walk at Newbridge.

Rufous milkcap mushrooms, probably. They were on a front lawn, so I didn’t actually check by breaking one to see if a milky liquid was produced.

Another small sample of birds coming to garden feeders.

The so-called Lady Godiva’s Cross by the south wall of Penn Church, with two different kinds of lichens growing on the stonework.

It’s the base of a preaching cross, dating from late Saxon times, rediscovered in 1912. There’s no direct evidence of a connection with Lady Godiva, but it’s plausible. Penn was one of her many manors, and was reputed as a donor to many religious foundations throughout the midlands.

As winter comes on, a monkey puzzle (araucaria) tree in a front garden was covered in what looked like newly emerging flowers.