A day trip to Exmoor affords us a wonderful view of Porlock Bay. Later in the day we made our way to Tarr Steps, believed to be the oldest mediaeval clapper bridge in England.

Axbridge is transformed by a fairly recent addition to its calendar - the Somerset Showcase. This very enjoyable celebration of all things "Somerset", from the locally produced foods available from the farmers markets to arts, crafts and music, sees the Square cleared of traffic and filled with people, stalls and entertainers.

The church tower was opened to the public, rewarding those who ventured up the narrow winding staircase with stunning views across the town.

From the kitchen window, we have had a few fleeting glimpses a Sparrow Hawk (an adult female) which hunts in our garden. Sometimes he will land on the fence for a few moments and then dive into the honeysuckle were the small birds are taking cover. From time to time we have found evidence of a successful hunt in the form of rather sad piles of Sparrow feathers on the "lawn".

This encounter was somewhat longer, the hawk has taken a Collared Dove. Quite an impressive feat given that size for size they were fairly evenly matched. (From our book of birds: the average size of a Collared Dove is 29-32cm and the average size of a Sparrow Hawk 28-38cm.)

Such a large catch meant that the hawk spent a good hour under the Hebe, stripping feathers and eating as much of the dove as he could manage - about two thirds, before finally hefting himself and the remains of his meal away.

Overhanging a garden wall an array of ivies and creepers puts on exotic display of early Autunm colour, whilst along the disused railway line, Bramble and Hawthorne berries and Old Man's Beard present an alternative palette for this colouful season.