Mists and mellow Fruitfulness

THE phrase ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ is taken from the poem entitled To Autumn written by British poet John Keats in 1819. In the summer I visited the house near Hampstead Heath in London where Keats used to live and was surprised to learn he died of ill-health at the age of 25, never knowing that his poems would one day be famous. To Autumn was inspired by country walks near Winchester in Hampshire, and moves through the season, ending with stubble fields and robins whistling their autumn song.

Late-November garden

This is echoed in the late-November garden where there is often more mist than mellowness. Days are short, flowers sparse