Autumn

Ah, Autumn.

Season of wasps and mouldy fruitiness.

The apple tree was so promising in the spring, covered in pinky-white blossom so feminine it was almost embarrassing. And then at June the little apples were so  perfect, so full of potential.

And now, most of them are all over the floor, half-green and half-mouldy-brown. Not the russet beauty you see in a picture. Not the shiny waxy green of a Tesco Fruit and Veg display, safely tucked away in polythene. A waste and disappointment. Only good for wasps and woodlice.

But the goodness in the leaves is already drawing back into the plant, to drive the roots deeper into the soil through the winter. The buds are already swelling for next year's flowers.

The promise is there. One day, one day it will be right.

One day.