Autumn at its best

I've been looking enviously at photos posted by fellow boating Tweeps, photos of sunrises and sunsets, of trees and bushes blistering with autumn colours, and I'm not seeing those while I'm not on the canal. But yesterday we visited Colton Fishacre, a National Trust property in Devon, a beautiful art-nouveau home in a delightful building, standing in acres of great beauty. Autumn truly at its best. A joy to behold.

It was with great sadness that we read the news yesterday morning, news that ancient buildings standing opposite Exeter Cathedral had been badly burned during the night. We'd seen them only the day before. The Royal Clarence Hotel, which is the most damaged, dates back to was the first building in England to be called "hotel". That was in 1770, but the building dates back to the Middle Ages. It's all very sad, though, mercifully, there have been no human casualties.

photo - Sophie Sowden via Twitter