Today it's official; the first calendar year of 2017 marking the entry of fall. All the signs have been there for weeks on end. We hardly needed the official recognition to convince us that autumn has arrived. Surprisingly, and contrary to expectations, however, we've been enjoying over a week of solid summertime weather.

The funny thing about it is that throughout the summer months we were exposed to weather more representative of early fall than summer. And now that fall has arrived, summer has decided to make its (temporary, alas!) appearance. Not that we aren't grateful for its presence, not at all. Warm temperatures prevailing, so warm that at night it's almost, but not quite uncomfortably close. Our bedroom windows admit whatever breezes might be passing by.

And also alert us to the sound of the visiting raccoon shunting aside the top of the composter, lightly placed so that removing it represents no effort whatever. Which is a vast improvement over locking it into place and the raccoons in their frustrated determination, taking to wrecking the composter. Besides which, why would we want to deny those clever creatures any food they want that we've discarded?

We also hear the gathering geese packs overhead as they make their way gradually toward their southern destinations in anticipation of winter. And the softer, sweeter tweets of the night-flying songbirds fleeing cold and misery to come.

In the forest, on our daily trail perambulations, fallen leaves are beginning to pile up. These are the early ones that simply dry up and fall without turning spectacular colours, for the most part. The rest will follow in good time.