Mid-Autumn Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival when the Moon is at its largest and roundest. In China and Chinese families worldworld there will be a special family meal and sharing of Moon Cake. Mid-Autumn Festival is the biggest Chinese Festival of the year after Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Its not something we celebrate but we do indulge in Moon Cake. It was too cloudy to get a good view of the Moon this evening so I have included a photo from last year, taken over the fields at the rear of our smallholding.

It doesn't yet feel much like Autumn but the signs are there. A little chilly at first light in the morning and darkness falling quickly in the evening. The chickens take themselves in by 7pm ready to be shut up. Trees are beginning to shed their leaves but they are yet to fall in quantity. The vegetable plot is being tidied as each crop has no more to offer but the mild weather means that some crops are still producing, such as courgettes, beans and tomatoes. There are also pumpkins which we associate with Autumn that are nearly ready.  One sure sign that Autumn is here is that the seed catalogues for 2024 have started to arrive.  

Moon Cake