Country diary: the village phone box is gone – but not without a fight

Comins Coch, Aberystwyth: All that is left now is a hole filled with topsoil where the box once stood. I might plant some native wildflower seeds there. Something red, obviously

The valley below the house has been choked by mist in the early mornings, the cool approach of autumn obvious as you step outdoors. Hedgerows and orchards are heavy with fruit, dropping so many windfall apples that the local blackbirds are having a hard time keeping up with the avalanche of supply. Robins are again becoming vocal, with their songs from the high branches cutting through the clear, suddenly chill, air.

With young birds fledged and nest sites abandoned, the sound of chainsaws echoes around the village as those who have held back from serious gardening, to protect the occupants of their hedges, try and restore some order before the weather turns too bad. Logs are cut to length for the stove and stacked to dry for a future winter.