A carpet of cloud, the magic and serenity, thus views from above of a morning of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.

"Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness." 

For it was the poet, John Keats who used those opening words for his poem, named simply as To Autumn. And it was on the morning of the 26th of November 2025 that those opening words for his poem seemed incredibly apt, for down on the ground, mists and a delightful crisp frost along with fruitfulness, and yet as the morning slowly went on, what happened? The skies slowly began to break, and a break in the clouds meant that I could send the metaphorical flying tripod with its camera attached to it into the air, and below are the photographs that I managed to capture this time around, of a rather shrouded Nottinghamshire town of Eastwood, looking slightly ethereal, yet magical, underneath the carpet of cloudy/misty conditions below, and from above I was taken away by what I could see below. 

"Gentle arts of a Crisp Morning."

"Stillness above the landscape."

"Shrouded is Suburbia. The peace of floating gently above."

"As the view goes, the atmosphere below. A delightful Morning of Beauty."

"Peaking down towards Eastwood Church, and a sea of Cloud."

"Above the white sea, a glow."

"The light, the magic of a white sea below."

"The sea of Cloud, meets the Suburban Shore."

Finding Gold and Fire, the magical November Light as it creates artwork over the landscape and Suburbia.

"The end of November, a time in which a transition takes place, one minute it is Autumn, the next well Winter will soon be arriving, and whilst it seasonally is still very much Autumn, there are already hints and signs as to what season will soon be here. But the season of Autumn offers colour and magic with the light, so does the Winter, and this transitional period in which one season slowly embers away before the new season arrives. And well the skies, yes the skies during Autumn or Winter, get them when the conditions are right, and they seem that little bit more magical."

And today, well the afternoon of the 25th of November 2025 was not exception, for it was on a walk at Brinsley Headstocks Nature Reserve, in the afternoon when from the ground I noticed a magical kind of light, the clouds had a certain shine to them, and well what did I have to do? Well that was to send the metaphorical tripod with a camera on it, into the skies, and below are the photos that I had managed to capture. 

"Do you see a face in the sky over The Hill?"

"A Crisp and Delicate Brinsley Light."

"Green Fields Below, and a Golden Glow in the Distance."

"Rays and November Gold."

"Over Brinsley Hill, finding November Gold."

"A November Sky, a Golden Beauty of a Glow."

But a short while after the walk at Brinsley, was finished, what did I notice? Well that would be a sky that truly lit up, even if it was for a matter of moments, and again I just had to send the metaphorical camera with a tripod into the sky, and this is what I had managed to capture. 

"Fire in the November Skies."

"The Sunset of November Fire Glow."

"A glorious November Crisp, Sunset Glow."

Colour and Arts. Taking a look at the Fireworks of Eastwood Christmas Lights Switch On, from a slightly different perspective.

November 2025 has seemingly gone by rather too quickly, and despite November still being classed seasonally as Autumn, there is a noticeable transition and change taking place - for already the Autumn Colours have disappeared and instead now, well the landscape looks a little bit more bare and colourless as the season of Winter approaches. But towards the end of November what happens? Well up and down the country, from the end part of November to early December, various towns, cities and other communities have their annual Christmas Lights Switch On, and (for some reason on Saturday the 22nd of November 2025) the town of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire, well it was their turn for the Christmas Lights Switch On and well I just had to get out and try something different, with safe flying I sent the metaphorical tripod with a camera into the sky, and managed to capture the following photos of the spectacular Fireworks, and below are the photos that I managed to capture. 

"The Light Show."

"The Green Fire Birds a Glow.."

"A Portrait of Colour."

"Slow and Colourful over Suburbia."

"Elements and Light."

"Light Effects, a Magical Glow."

"Light Trails, a final Glow."

Moods and November Views, a slightly unusual look at The Erewash Valley after Storm Claudia.

November really is a month of "transitions, one minute there are the colours of Autumn that end up becoming the final embers of colour before everything turns that little bit more grey." And along with the grey and bare weather, what else is late Autumn and this transition period into Winter known for? Well storms - and it was on November the 14th 2025 that Storm Claudia arrived, bringing with it an entire deluge of rain in just one day, and whilst Monmouthshire has been affected, here on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire Border, it was time to see what effects Storm Claudia had, on The Erewash Valley. And from the ground near Shipley Lock, the best way to describe things was lets just say, 

"Typically Moody and Grey, atmospheric and strangely beautiful yet haunting."

And here are the photos from the ground overlooking The Erewash Valley, with Winston in the distance and of course The River Erewash. 

"November Deluge and Golden Embers Remain."

"Embers of Gold, the River Runs High."

"Moods and Grey, the Flood Plains, the River escaped on the Way."

"The Water, the Turbine of Winston."

But from above, with the drone it was clear to see the extent and amounts of water that had fallen, that had made it onto the flood plains, and looking towards Giltbrook and the direction in which Bennerley Viaduct is, well that was dramatic to say the least. Towards Langley Mill, again, dramatic but not so much in terms of water on the flood plains, and below are the photos taken with the metaphorical flying tripod with a camera attached to it. 

"Moods and November Valley Views."

"Water World. A Grey November Storm Claudia Aftermath."

"As the water Wanders."

"Bleak over Erewash Fields, towards A Langley Mill Grey."

"River, Canal, A Sense of Erewash Grey."

"Erewash Fields, to Storm Aftermath Fields."

"Floating above the water, under the November Grey."

Atmosphere, Colour and the incoming elements of Winter.

Already we are into the middle of November, and it was a conversation a little while ago, that I had with the fantastic Nottingham based landscape photographer, Craig Yates, who simply said something to the following effect,

"November is still Autumn, at least for the first two to three weeks, the third week of November is when we will more than likely see the last part of Autumn, before the more muddy, grey, bland elements take over and the colour of Autumn finally disappears."

And he certainly was not wrong at all, it was just a few days ago that I had ended up heading past the historic Beauvale Priory, and to the top of the strangely named, New Road, in Moorgreen, and at the top of New Road, what can be found? Woodland, yes Woodland that always throughout the year seems spectacular to capture, even from the side of the road, and this time around was the first time since mid Autumn that I had visited, and what did I notice this time around? Well an atmosphere, yes the weather was not fantastic, but the woodland seemed moody, the colours of Autumn - questionable, and whilst I did come across some Autumn colours, what I saw was the last embers of Autumn, and instead a woodland with the incoming elements of Winter, which could be felt, and below are the photos that I had managed to come away with. 

"Fading from Autumn to Winter and Bland."

"As Green and Colour Fades Away."

"Delicate Colours of Autumn Fade."

"As the last embers of Autumn Glow."

"Gold, Green and Trunks."

"As the final symphony of Autumn Colour gives way, to a Woodland Winter KInd of Grey."

"Colour and Bare as the Eye can See."

"The Final Strand of Autumn Gold."

"Shimmering Delicate Strands."

Did I encounter the last strands of Autumn Beauty in Derbyshire? For I think I really did, colour and beauty from the ground and from the air.

"As the middle of November approaches a transition happens. For it might still be Autumn, however the last strands of Autumn Beauty, well they can still be seen, but amongst the last strands of that Autumnal Beauty, a bareness can also be seen creeping in, giving way slowly and gently to the bare and more challenging elements of capturing Winter, a season without such a glorious glow."

It was on Thursday the 6th of November 2025, that an "Autumnal Trip into Derbyshire" was on the cards. Yes, as a county goes, Derbyshire is a county of many contrasts, from the more touristy parts of the county that include The Derbyshire Dales and their landscape elements, right up towards The Peak District National Park, and their darker, bleaker and atmospheric landscapes, in which wild and desolate moorlands can be found. But this time around, the locations whilst they were in Derbyshire, were lets just say, 

"A little bit away from the touristy areas and traps, for they still had Autumn Elements and Autumn Beauty, that many would probably ignore on their way to the more touristy parts of the county."

And the first stop off, of the day was Belper, a beautiful and historic town that is located in The Lower Derwent Valley, and a location of history that can still be seen even today, but where was the best place to capture the Autumn Beauty of Belper? Well that of course happened to be the delightful Belper River Gardens, and below are the photos that I managed to capture using the "metaphorical tripod in the sky, with a camera attached to it."

"Autumn Serenity, the Glow and Beauty of The Gardens and The River."

"Autumn Vibes of Belper River Gardens."

"Autumn Portrait, River Garden Glow."

"Moods, Sky and a River Garden below."

"Floating above the Autumn of The River Gardens. A Belper Kind of View."

After a delightful visit to Belper River Gardens and of course lunch at - Park Life Café at the Swiss Tea Rooms, situated within Belper River Gardens it was time to move on, this time the winding A6 heading towards Derby in a more southbound direction, passing through Milford and of course ending up in Duffield, where a right turn was taken, this right turn of course leading along the equally winding and picturesque B5023 towards the historical town of Wirksworth, situated in the picturesque and hidden Eccelsbourne Valley, a valley that has a plethora of vistas and views and glorious scenery that is just waiting to be discovered, after passing through Wirksworth, another stop took place, this time at Black Rocks, located between Wirksworth and Cromford, a place that I had not visited for a couple of years, but a place in which geology can be seen, along with some pretty incredible Autumnal Woodlands, which were on metaphorical fire, and had a truly glorious glow to them, and here are the photos from there.

"Like an Autumn Wallpaper."

"Mystical is the Autumn Glow."

"Psychedelic Autumn Fire Glow."

"Like an Autumn Painted Portrait."

"Orange Glow, the Autumn Beauty Shines."

"Amongst the Autumn Pillars."

"Branches of the Autumn Beauty, the Artists Glow."

"Autumn Tapestry and Colour Symphony."

Upon finishing up at Black Rocks, and witnessing plus of course capturing an entire Autumn palette of artwork and colours that just somehow "popped" it was time to head back down into Cromford and back down the A6, this time heading towards Ambergate, and finally there was just one more stop off point, a seemingly ordinary layby between Whatstandwell and Ambergate, however this Layby has an extraordinary view of Shining Cliff Woods on the other side of The River Derwent, and a truly spectacular view of the Lower Derwent Valley, and then I had noticed something, the sky was doing something spectacular, the colours had changed and this made the woodlands of this part of The Lower Derwent Valley completely glow, and of course I just had to send the drone up, and below is what I had managed to capture. 

"A Shining Glow."

"Autumn Gold, A Shining Cliff Beauty."

"Shining is the portrait of Autumn Layers and Gold."

"The Bends of The Lower Derwent, and the chasing magical light."

But looking back at the three locations that I had visited, what had I seen? Well beauty, artwork and colours, all of which created and curated by nature, and yes it might have been the 6th of November 2025 - but I really am sure that I had come across in Derbyshire, the last strands of Autumn Beauty, the last strands of colour, magnificent Autumn Colours that this year, have proven to be that little bit more magical, and that has been something else to behold, but of course Autumn will give way, and the colour will become a little bit more meh, dull and bland, but in the mind, what is there? Visions of colour and of course Autumn delight, until the return of the colour in the Spring of 2026. That being said though, Winter photography can be challenging, but if the conditions are right, then magic even in the Winter can still be found. Yet this time around on the 6th of November 2025, I really had come across magic and beauty, and perhaps the last elements of Autumn colour, before nature takes itself off to sleep for one last time before the Spring arrives.