Another golden autumn day. After a deep sleep last night, needed by all of us, we went out for a walk up in the Forestry Commission at Rudry. We like it up there - it's usually very quiet, the woods are beautiful and we see lots of birds and other wildlife. Andy spent most of the walk looking up into the trees in case he saw a squirrel. On previous walks we've even seen foxes crossing the paths in daylight. Today we saw some mountain bikers, robins, blue tits, long tailed tits, buzzards and chaffinches. Around us the woods were full of birdsong and we couldn't hear any traffic so it was glorious. I've previously mentioned my love for the film "Pan's Labyrinth" - one of the reasons is the film captures the magic of woods, an enchantment willingly undertaken. Today also I felt as though I was in middle-Earth - that glorious, hazy out of time sensation that comes with deep peace, relaxation and contentment. The book is on my mind at the moment, as for some reason, I usually re-read it every autumn. Of course, I read it at other times as well, but there's something about this time of year that drives me back to it. My relationship with the book is long - I first read it aged 9, fell in love totally and re-read it so much that the book fell apart. As an adult I take a slightly more critical view - for instance, the lack of strong female characters is irritating (except Eowyn, of course, and even she goes in for a bit of hopeless yearning at times) and I still find Sam annoying but on the whole it still utterly captivates me, and it would seem, many others as it frequently tops the list of favourite books whenever polls are done. At the same time, unlike say Pride and Prejudice, it is deeply unfashionable and is never liked or admired by any literary critic that I have read. Maybe because it is un-ironic and heroic, qualities not liked by critics? Attach a couple of photos - some attempting to capture that Shire mood and one comedy one of Andrew looking as though he's sniffing Andy's bottom - not really sure what's going on in that one.