October Thoughts

More than any other season, I’ve always loved the autumn.

I can remember when I was a little girl, probably about 7 or so, my teacher asked us to write about which was a favourite season and why. I knew mine was the autumn! But being a little 7 year old girl, I didn’t have the vocabulary to express exactly why!

In the end, I think I said I like winter the best, because of Christmas, like most of the other children in my class (the rest chose the seasons that their birthdays were in!).

Even though I wasn’t especially happy at primary school, when September came round, it felt like a new, shiny pencil case. I loved how the light become more golden after the harsh light of summer. I loved how the weather was warmer without being too hot. I liked the rhythm and familiarity of being back at school after the summer holidays.

Once October swung round, the nights were starting to draw in and the mornings would often be colder. I remember walking to school and seeing dew, and sometimes frost, on spiders’ webs, and the smell of bonfires in the air on the way home.

After the clocks changed at the end of October, there was no longer the same expectation that I would spend a lot of time playing outside in the garden! I could curl up somewhere in our cosy house with a book (an activity I much preferred!).

Then came Bonfire Night, with a big fire in the garden and fireworks, and tomato soup, hot dogs and baked potatoes. On the way to school the next day, we would pick up the remains of rockets from people’s firework displays.

After that it turned colder. Frosty, with darker mornings and evenings, and the thought of Christmas not too far away.

For a little while in early adulthood, I decided I liked the spring better.

But then my babies all arrived in the autumn and I felt differently about it again. I remember the day Aidan, my second child, was born. It was mid November, and although it was cold, it was beautifully sunny and I could see trees with yellow leaves out the hospital windows.

Once the babies started moving onto school, and I was relying on rural bus services to get them there and back, I found that a decent coat and a pair of boots went a long way to making the weather less of a problem. This was especially true if I chose to walk back rather than wait for the bus!

So now, I love autumn the best. I love how the colours are the same as my beautiful ginger cat. I love how the light is mellow and golden. I love the mists and the chill in the air. I love putting the lamps on and lighting the fire, and I still love curling up with a book without any expectation that I should be outside instead.

When I do go outside, whether it’s through necessity or choice, there’s much enjoy in nature.

In England, our autumn colours are not as wonderful as they are in North America, but there is still the golden light, the colours of leaves (they are more brown here than red, but it’s still nice). There are the red and orange and purple of berries as well. And picking up conkers, when they are new and brown and shiny, even a skilled craftsman would find it a challenge to make something as beautiful.

I know autumn is not everybody’s favourite season. Lots of people prefer summer. But maybe you could try the suggestions below and see if you can’t be persuaded to like autumn a little bit more!

Ways to Enjoy Autumn

Go blackberry picking. Wherever you live, there will probably be blackberries growing somewhere. To make bramble jelly, you need quite a lot, but you can make hedgerow jelly if you use other berries as well. You could put them in an crumble or just eat them. Please don’t eat anything if you don’t know what it is and leave some for the birds!

If you have a garden, spend some time in it. Plant bulbs for spring. If you’re anything like me, you’ll forget, and then there’ll be a lovely surprise in the spring!

Put food out for the birds. There’s still plenty at the moment, but as winter draws on and food becomes scarcer, the birds will know that there’s some in your garden.

Get out in nature. Go to the woods if you can, or out into the country. If you live in a city, a park will do nicely.

Indulge in the flavours of autumn. If you like pumpkin spice, put it in everything! Other flavours could include apples and cinnamon, oolong tea and pine tea.

Buy or make a wreath for your door.

Make some autumn themed bunting and hang it up.

Choose a project. Colder weather encourages different kinds of crafting. I tend to do more crochet and knitting in the autumn and winter. It’s nice to have something you can pick up and work on for a few minutes, then put down again, and not feel pressured to get it finished, so choose something that is for you and not a Christmas gift for somebody!

Ways to Manage in Autumn If You Still Don’t Like It

Get some decent footwear. Having warm, dry feet makes all the difference! Ballet pumps are great for summer, but they won’t do the job when the weather’s bad. Something waterproof that covers your feet is a much better idea. And wellies are perfect if the rain is really bad!

Consider carrying a change of shoes. Having wet feet is guaranteed to make anyone miserable. So you could keep your ballet pumps and a pair of socks or tights in your bag or in your car to change into if you get wet.

Get a decent coat. Like the Norwegians say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes! Some of the coats I’ve seen (even coats I’ve owned!) don’t seem to be designed for wearing outside!

Not being cold makes a difference to how you feel about the weather, so a longish coat that comes down below your hips and is both warm and waterproof will help you to feel better about being outside.

Make the most of the sunshine. In early autumn, in England, the sunshine still feels warm, and it often doesn’t feel too cold if you are moving about. And being out in the sunshine often makes us feel better!

Make cosy corners at home. Choose an armchair or a corner of the sofa. Add a blanket, a cushion, a lamp and somewhere to put a hot drink. Then make a point of enjoying it! If other members of your family gravitate to your cosy spot, then make a few!

Things to Make and Do in the Autumn

If you like this post, you might be interested in my ebook, Things to Make and Do in the Autumn.

Things To Make and Do in the Autumn is a 70 plus page ebook filled with ideas of things you can do to make the most of this season.

Sections include Things To Do in the Garden, Things to Do at Home, Things to Do in the Kitchen, Things To Do Out of Doors, Other Things to Make, Things To Do For Yourself and Start Planning For Christmas.

The Things To Do in the Kitchen section includes some recipes, and Other Things to Make has instructions for seasonal bunting, pumpkins, cushions and blankets.

The last section contains a Christmas craft planner to help you prepare for Christmas crafting so that it doesn’t sneak up on you and there’s actually time to do some!

There are also templates and patterns for bunting and applique.

You can find it here.