Long shadows

This is my favourite time of year when the colours are changing and the shadows get longer.  You can rely on autumn more than you can summer in Scotland.  It's cool and fresh with blue skies on the good days and this morning was one of those classic autumn mornings so I pulled on my running shoes and headed out.
I've just come back from London and the contrast couldn't be greater. When walking through the busy streets, runners are trying to cram in a short lunchtime run and they have to compete for any pavement space available or run in the cycle lanes which isn't that safe as cyclists are very protective of the space they have been granted.  You also have the pollution to contend with but when I run in London it's always in the beautiful parks to avoid this congestion.
This morning I went out for 11km run.  The air was fresh and clean.  The sun shone and the sky was blue - not something I've seen too much of this summer.  On my run I met 5 cyclists, 1 runner and two dog walkers.  There was a handful of cars as I came back into town but that was it.  Quiet a contrast to the last few days in London.
Ideally I would have gone for a trail run but needed new trail shoes which I bought later today.  This will get me back into the forest runs where I'll enjoy kicking up the fallen golden leaves.  I'm so lucky to live in beautiful countryside where outdoor activities are even more special.  Autumn will coax me out onto the trails which are just waiting for me.  Here's to autumn.