Autumn or Fall is a very special time in rural France. Because so much of the countryside is still farmed in the old-fashioned way by small, independent farmers and smallholders, the harvest is a time to celebrate the gathering of the crops, delight in sampling the fruits of the season and generally get together for a good old-fashioned chinwag with people we may not have seen for a while.

It's a chance to look at traditional crafts, and perhaps buy presents for Christmas. A time to buy fruits for making chutneys and preserving for the winter and to gather nuts and wild mushrooms from the roadside (or buy them from enterprising stallholders if we can't be bothered)

The photos opposite were taken at the Autlumn fair of St.Maurice des Lions in the Charente, and show a cross-section of the local population indulging in one of the most traditional and timeless occasions here in France.  There is music, foodstuffs, shellfish (which comes from our neighbouring region of Charente-Maritime) and always something for the children.  A candy stall, a roundabout (carousel) or small hand-made toys.

Soon the winter will set in, and if snow comes, some of the smaller roads will be difficult to negotiate.  In former times, villagers would simply stay in their own villages until the weather improved.  Although times are very different today, the old traditions last - and long may they do so!