Reds, greens and blues for me this night but sadly Loes had to wait till I got back indoors to see the results "second hand".

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Back home we had arranged for a re-vamp of the cottage driveway.

A small digger had scraped away the old gravel and weeds, dug a soak-away pit and leveled the ground.

Weed-surpressing black matting was laid and sand and gravel delivered, ready for spreading.

Suitably bedded in, tarmac edged and swept . . . and four days later it was completed.

It looks too clean . . . either I'll have to clean the house or dirty the stones !

Well done to Steve at Thompson Paving and Groundworks for a great piece of work.

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Sunday 13th of October was Lorton Apple Day.

The North Cumbria Apple Group under the auspices of the local Mellbreak Communities 'umbrella' have organised an apple processing day.

Bring bags of your own apples and have them "pressed" to produce your very own Apple Juice.

They had two apple presses, the larger working on external water pressure and the smaller one, based on a classic screw press.

The juice was not pasteurized so had to be drunk within the week or frozen but neither option was difficult. The non-drunk the juice could be transferred to old plastic milk bottles and frozen.

Now we know what's involved, I should be able to produce more next year. Thanks to the apple Group for bringing their equipment and expertise.

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When thinking about where to go for walks with the wheelchair, the network of the West Coast Cycleways were a great option,

not that we could go to far in any one direction . . . but at least it was level.

A slight diversion from the tarmac surfaced led to the beach for myself and the dogs.

This is the view looking south along the sands of Allonby Bay and the Solway Coast, where Dougal could have a good run.

We were able to enjoy the view across the water to Criffell in Dumfries and Galloway, from here on the beach and from the main path for Loes.

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This week she wanted to visit an friend who had recently moved into a nursing home on the west coast, after living for many years in Whitheaven.

Perhaps the position under the gun was not the most subtle, but the memory of those lost in the multiple shooting is still very present to this day.

We must take the dogs for a walk down on the beach . . . fortunately there's a boardwalk jetty to also allow Loes to get closer to the water.

A quick photo of the three of them at the end of the pier !	Now it's up to me to push her back up the slope !

The decking gets covered most tides so had a sheen of slippery seaweed in places, which needed care.

Fortunately the slope at the far end was dry and the grip underfoot was perfect . . . it just needed a bit of muscle to reach the top.

The car park also had a sun clock laid into the paving.	Stand in the correct month's square to project the time on the stones.

It was just after four o'clock . . . so time to be heading home.

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The following week walks were fairly short, but included two noteable visits to Crummock shore.

One was just after Storm Ashley blasted through Cumbria, fortunately without too much damage to the trees which were still holding onto their late summer leaves.

See it in real life . . . well recorded especially for you . . . click here or on the picture above for the video, backspace to return here.

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A few days later, a fine rainbow followed a passing shower, lighting up the boat house on the opposite side of the lake.

The wider picture taken from slightly closer to the Park Beck outflow, looking across to Grasmoor as the passing shower turns to beautiful sunshine.

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When discussing sales of my calendar, usually by email, viewers have been sending me wonderful photos of their home turf . . . .

Both from David and Cathryn Miller (and teddy Beeston) in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Pelicans and a cormorant.

"Here's my Vermont autumn view for you, with the frosted remains of one of my flower gardens and a morning visitor."

Julie Halliberg in Vermont, USA.

" Sadly I've not made it down to the Lakes this year but Kirriemuir is surrounded by beautiful countryside too. "

Here's a picture of Loch of Lintrathen, taken this lunchtime. It's my local version of Loweswater.