“Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness………………”

Well, the summer holidays are over for most of us for another year, the children are back at school, and already the evenings are drawing in. It seems to me that this starts to happen when we are still enjoying summer, but in that case I suppose that conversely the nights seem to draw out in the middle of winter! Added to which, the clocks change in late October which means shorter days as well. Perhaps that will help to convince motorists to use their headlights more readily (and no, this will not drain the battery!!)

Autumn can be a season of preparation for what may arrive in the next few months on the weather front. We have the threat (yet again) of the worst winter on record, so now is the right time to check any hazards which may lurk outside. A wise move might be to make sure there is a supply of grit or salt in case of an early cold snap. Paths may need to be checked to remove slippery mosses – bad enough to contend with ice and snow when it arrives without any further complications. Uneven paving can easily cause slipping and will need to be checked and replaced if necessary.

Overgrown shrubs and bushes could put your employees at risk when entering and leaving their place of work. They could easily conceal intruders which could obviously cause safety issues. Exterior lights are of little use with faulty bulbs! The Health and Safety Executive reported a case of a television satellite engineer who would not carry out any installations after 5pm because it “is unsafe to do so and contravenes H & S regulations”  Maybe external lighting may have helped!

So, we are well into Autumn, and Bonfire Night and the dreaded “C” season is fast approaching. So get outside and get sort whilst we still have time.

Janet