AUTUMN: DRESSED OVER ALL

I was visiting Neil B. this week and we had a stroll around his garden. This bush (it is not a 'tree') is in the back garden and was planted by his first wife (now deceased) many years ago. She was a botanist and Neil is at a loss to know what the plant is. I also have no idea. It is not an acer. It has very feathery leaves and velvety stems. There is a flower at the top (see arrow) which is purple and is a compact mass of little buds.

Days later: A very kind person has responded (see Comments below) and identified this bush. It is a Staghorn sumac as he/she points out here.

Now that is most interesting! From Neil's window in the back of his house, I said I thought it was a sumac from my experience of British Columbia sumac. However, when I looked closely at is I realised said to him that, No, it was not. Well, well! I was half way there ... right genus, wrong species!!

Neil and Christina 'out-source' the maintenance of their garden to their neighbour who is a landscape gardener.

Here is another shot of his flowers, also taken with my iPhone, of holyhocks and Michaelmas daisies.

Finally, I took this shot this afternoon. Iain and I paid a visit to Willie to get a load of horse manure. We had a really good visit with both Willie and Daye and enjoyed seeing their vegetable garden, hens and Red Rooster, and their peahen (the peacock has gone Walkabout).

They sell eggs at the gate so I walked down and bought a 1/2 dozen. The arrangement is to put the money in the black honesty box on the ledge. On the way back up the lane I was greatly taken by this iron style bathed in the late afternoon sun.