October

County folk would talk of the turning year, knowing what happens around them with wildlife, trees and plants. What to eat and what to store. I know the horse-chestnuts (conkers) are falling right now and that you can’t eat them. After that, not much. We don’t need to know these things any more, don’t need to be connected to the land, the country around us. Most people have enough trouble coping with driving in the changed conditions, dark when you leave for work and wet quite often.

The girls (and increasingly the boys) shop for winter coats en vogue, representing the latest season to avoid embarrassment with those ‘in the know’, the cognoscenti. The scarf, the draft excluder of the neck comes into its own as an item of utility, rather than just a fashion accessory.

Do you, can you remember twenty five years ago, when Mr. Fish singled out a lady correspondent, to reassure her through a television broadcast that a hurricane was not on its way. Unfortunately a great storm sprang shortly after on the night of 15-16 ^th  October 1987, causing all kinds of mayhem. I lived and worked on the East coast at the time and it was quite some wild night.

But October is a great month for history too. Many, many celebrities have birthday’s this month , look them up at famousbirthdays.com. Some are shocking though. Well, to me.

Then there are the battles. Naturally everyone remembers the Battle of Hastings but few know that it was the 14^th October , beginning at 9.15 on Senlac Hill. OK that was a bit obsessive, but the Victorians actually referred to it as the Battle of Senlac Hill. Although the home team lost, Britain would have been a very different place if William had not carried the field.

On the 21^st October 1805 Nelson ruined Napoleon’s day by experimenting with a new naval tactic that absolutely decimated the French fleet. I’m sure the opposition took solace from the fact that they managed to kill their tormentor , but he had rather made himself an obvious target with a range of sparkling baubles across his coat.

The 25^th October has two remarkable battles; Balaclava and Agincourt. The former was fought in 1854 during the Crimean war and is more popularly known for the Charge of the Light Brigade, of which Tennyson said ‘Into the valley of Death rode the 600’. Agincourt was fought after appalling overnight rain in 1415. Shakespeare was inspired by the achievements of the English of Henry V cutting down as they did, the flower of French knighthood, falling due to mud, poor tactics and hubris.

‘This note doth tell me of ten thousand French

That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number,

And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead

One hundred twenty six’

October is a mellow month.