The Year has Achieved; fruition

The past few days have been blissful - cloudless skies, the sun no longer beating down - just being there, on the goldenrod and the tansy, on the plums, apples and pears. Five days without rain, and the fruit is ripening rapidly. Walks are splendid, the countryside is the place to be (though a trip into town on Friday made for pleasant contrast). The year is at its zenith, mature and fruitful. The air is full of the smells of ripeness.

Apple harvesting has started in earnest. Below: six empty crates heading back for a refill after a load has been delivered to the punkt skupu (purchase point) on ul. Wolska. In the background, Chynów's fire station/cultural centre.

Autumnal scents draw me into the forest, I am increasingly aware of the subtle differences in podłoże (terroir) - the soils, what's underfoot. Is it grass, or moss, or scrub, or brush - and how that affects the trees above, which species, and how tall they grow. Is the forest conscious? Below: a mossy clearing. Why a clearing here? How long before it is claimed by the oak saplings visible in the foreground? Or will they fail to take hold, like the barren sticks behind them?

Below: the logging activity in the forest beyond the orchards has opened up new trails for me; down at the bottom end of the forest, a swamp. All that's missing is dragonflies with three-foot wingspans for a return to Palaeozoic vibes.

Below: from Chynów looking northward towards Sułkowice; one of my XII Canonical Prospects. This time with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The sunsets are galloping forward earlier each day as we approach the autumnal equinox; today, the sun set in Chynów at 19:11, a quarter of an hour earlier than last Monday. But the skies are pure, and dusk on my działka triggers that sense of elation and the occasional past-life flashback. Below: Is this the road to Itta Bena? Or Adamów Rososki? Another of the XII Canonical Prospects.

All is well, but as the Rabbi says, when all's well, remember it can all turn shit-shape real soon. Less than two months until the Hammer of Darkness comes down again. Best get ready now.

This time last year:
Jabłkowizna!

This time six years ago:
Low water level - Jeziorki lakes

This time seven years ago:
Around the Czachówek diamond, again

This time ten years ago:
Second line of the Metro runs into delays

This time 11 years ago
Army helicopters in action at Kielce defence show

This time 12 years ago:
World's largest helicopter over Jeziorki