h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

While walking across Nottingham University's campus at the moment, it is hard to miss the masses of leaves which have recently fallen off trees of the deciduous variety. Obviously this is not too much of a shock in November, but because of this every pavement is now covered in rotting leaves. While this is obviously not too much of a problem as long as you are wearing suitable footwear, if you are the current owner of a right footed trainer with a hole in the bottom of it, like myself, you begin to ponder what exactly those leaves are doing to your socks.

Leaves at this time of year that have reached the pavement, and had a bit of rain fall on them, tend to obtain a 'mushy' quality, that although the sensation of this isn't especially unpleasant on sock-wearers, leads to socks getting rather dirty. One major complaint of railway companies during the winter months in Britain is 'leaves on the line', which often causes delays to train services because of the 'mushy' and apparently 'gluey' way the leaves interact between the wheels of a train and the line itself.

This led me to wonder about other words ending in 'shy' that describe the consequences of weather. I could only think of one - if it snows, and the snow is 'wet', then the pavements become all 'slushy'.

All that said, the leaves that are still on trees on campus have now obtained a lovely yellow-brown colour, that lifts the spirit every time you see them on a sunny or a stormy day.