That Autumn Feeling Falls Gently Upon us
“Summer rushes in on the heels of spring, eager to take her turn; and then she dances with wild abandon. But the time soon comes when she gratefully falls, exhausted and sated, into the auburn arms of autumn”
And here we are, September is slowly working its magic as the nights get longer and the sun loses its glare. Many flowers and vegetables are having their last hurrah as the heat from the summer we will all remember gradually fades away and everyone can breath a little easier. Because, I’m not sure about you, but wasn’t this summer intense? And I don’t mean that in a negative way, not at all, it was just a tad exhausting. I’ve had conversations with many folk who have been unable to stop this summer because they felt guilty about not being outside and enjoying the sunshine and heat that we all normally crave and wish for. Its a reflection of our culture I believe, this lack of ability to stop and do nothing.
I have been forced to do that this summer. After reducing my hours at work to spend more time with the boys and on Botanical Tales, I got myself in such a stress by putting this self imposed pressure on myself to “do” something, to prove my worth now I didn’t have work to fill my hours. It took me all of July to realise that wasn’t going to fly and so I resolved to give myself August to enjoy the summer with my family and focus on my own wellbeing. To put it simply, I gave myself a break mentally and physically.
And it was just what I needed, aside from maternity leave this is the first summer where I have had more just a week or twos holiday to enjoy it in nearly twenty years of working. I enjoyed nearly three weeks off to spend in Wales and Menorca with my family. I read a lot, the two books on my bedside table currently are Supernormal by Meg Jay and the Gifts of Imperfections by Brene Brown. Neither are light reading for sure, but mind opening for different reasons, I really recommend them to you.
But back to September and the beauty that comes with it. This is my favourite time to take walks out in nature and to really appreciate this gradual shift in the seasons. Noticing things such as the swelling of acorns and the turning of leaves. Swallows and many other migrating birds will have already left us for warmer weather and in their place pink footed geese settle along the east coasts of the UK. The light that little bit softer and gentler, lower down in the sky and creating shadows in places where there have been none for a while.
Blackberries came and went early this year because of the heat of the summer, with rosehips and hawthorns berries all look plentiful and plump this year. On my recent walk through the woods with my good friend Lulu we kept our eye out for mushrooms pushing their way through the woody undergrowth but none could be soon. I suspect it will be a later year this year simply because of how dry it has been, mushrooms normally appear when the rain and damp returns to our land.
Whilst I have no scientific evidence of this, I feel as though I have seen many more bees and butterflies this summer. If you have an outside space, its always a good idea to not cut everything back in Autumn despite the temptation to tidy things up.. Seed heads and undergrowth provide protection for overwintering bugs and personal favourites of mine such as scabious and wild carrot add a bit of interest throughout our dark winters, especially if Jack Frost touches their tips on frosty morning.
To me Autumn feels like a season of rediscovery, a sense of clarity falls over us as the intensity of hot balmy summer days become a distant memory. Headspace comes more freely as a slower pace of life returns and creativity begins to flow more easily. Plans are made but without the pressure of a new year and there is a sense of optimism in the air. I for one am super excited about the change in season and can’t wait to see what she brings with her!
Photo credits to Lulu from A Cup Full of Dreams, taken during a walk through our local woods this week. My dear friend who works magic with her camera and is in awe of nature as much as I am.
And if you are suffering at all from the change of seasons, then you may want to read my blog post all about seasonal affective disorder here.