What Autumn Means to Me

Last Updated: 19 October 2024

It seems incredible that it's almost three months since my last featured post in this series and even more unbelievably, it's nearly a whole year since I started sharing my thoughts about the seasons with you all.

As we finally come full circle and gradually work our way towards the close of another year, could there be a more fitting time to publish my final season of the series?

Autumn is a melancholy time of change; a time when the natural world slowly begins to close off and shut down for the winter. Autumn is that chill starting to creep back into the air once again and a gusty breeze rattling the dry leaves that scud down the pavement, matching the grey clouds racing high above.

Autumn is Halloween and pumpkins and treats, burning bonfires at the allotment and nighttime fireworks keeping you up long past your bedtime. Autumn is chilli and jacket potatoes and hot chocolate enjoyed in an old armchair, watching the rain hammering down outside your window. Autumn is warmth and comfort and familiarity, a beautiful display of decaying life.

Autumn is a rich array of vibrant colours, nature’s last hurrah, with trees showing their brilliance before their leaves are ripped cruelly from their branches by the cold, unforgiving wind. Autumn is burnished gold and rich brass, deep chestnut brown and moss green. Autumn is burnt orange, golden yellow, and burgundy – such a wide range of colours vying for space among the treetops.

Autumn is saying goodbye to your shorts and sandals for another year and digging your faithful winter coat out from the back of the wardrobe. Autumn means shopping for thick, woolly jumpers and waterproof boots, layering and forgetting all thoughts of heading out without a jacket!

Autumn is toasting marshmallows and open fires, beginning to bed down for winter and gear up for Christmas. Autumn is clocks going back and nights drawing in, days beginning to get colder and shorter and the occasional overnight frost settling out over the countryside.

Autumn means hosting fireworks parties for family and friends, holding sparklers (with gloves on, of course!) and watching the big displays with the rest of the eager crowd. Autumn means funfairs and candyfloss, toffee apples and fairground rides for the kids to play on. Autumn is sawdust floors, woolly hats and the scent of popcorn filling the air.

Autumn means curling up with a blanket and a good book or enjoying a walk in the countryside in the crisp air. Autumn means October half-term and a trip to the New Forest, watching out for ponies silhouetted against nature’s most colourful backdrop and wrapping up warm against the changing weather outside.

Autumn means starting a new school year and shaking off the long, hazy days of summer. Autumn is both a new beginning and an ending; the perfect natural circle.

Which season is your favourite? What's your favourite thing about autumn? Share your thoughts in the comments below!