Autumn is the best of seasons, combining the last colourful flourishes of summer with the chilly onset of winter. These short poems celebrate the fall of summer, the shortening of the days and the approaching realism of winter. The colour red is also at its most vibrant and meaningful in autumn.

These haiku offer an intense Gothic celebration of summer. There are portraits of four separate graveyards in the Highlands; interspersed with evocations of the light and beauty of the Summer Isles; standing stones at the Clava Cairns just outside Inverness, and Callanish in Lewis; the memory of Somerled, a twelfth-century Norse-Gaelic warrior who ruled the Western Isles; and the crumbling of sandcastles on the last Bank Holiday of August.

These haiku commemorate the visit of a long-term dear friend to the author's part of the world. It was a delight to share his country's art, culture, heritage and walks with her. The cover shows Rosemarkie Bay in the Black Isle, where they enjoyed a memorable and artistic walk together.

These poems celebrate the lives of bees, which bring joy in many subtle ways into our lives, pollinating flowers and making honey, and bringing variety to our insect world. They have been revered for this since ancient times, and long may they continue to do so.