Enjoying Autumn
Blog post
10/21/20264 min read
Enjoying autumn
Are you enjoying the autumn? It is such a beautiful season and, for me, a very busy one. There’s always a lot going on, and I need to remind myself to take a breath and enjoy its beauty. In October, the leaves start to turn, and I love to notice it happening. My garden has taken on a rosy hue, with the Virginia creeper now in full crimson, rosy apples and the rest of the leaves on the turn.
The garden (and I!) are enjoying the autumn rains, especially after this year’s parched summer. I’ve planted bulbs for spring (holding off on tulips until it’s colder) and some new plants for next summer, and it’s good that they’re getting watered in.
It’s time to make sure you have good rain gear. Get yourself a fun new umbrella if you don’t have one. I always make sure I have an umbrella that makes me smile. If you feel a bit down about the rain, having the occasion to use your brolly will cheer you up! It works for me, every time! I find that museum and art gallery shops are great for interesting umbrellas.
It’s worthwhile reminding oneself that we’re heading for winter’s shutdown and consciously starting to slow down. In the second half of October, I tell myself I don’t need to go full pelt at life.
I make an effort with my evening wind-down routine in the autumn, resisting the urge to faff around after supper and getting ready for bed in good time: taking time with my skincare routine, doing some gentle yoga to stretch out the kinks of the day, relaxing with a warm eye mask, journalling and reading a book. Definitely not scrolling on Instagram! I stand a much better chance of getting up on dark mornings if I’ve had a relaxing evening and a good night’s sleep.
October has a magical quality. The sun now rises and sets at times that make it easier to enjoy the blue hours at dawn and dusk. I’ll be putting the coffee on and getting onto the yoga mat in the morning half-light, then coming home in the twilight after sunset.
I’ve not started my candle-lighting ritual yet. I wait for the year to turn a little further, until Halloween/Samhain, which traditionally ushers in the dark half of the year. For now, there are subtle changes in the light to notice, in the mornings and evenings. The darkness is coming.
It’s at this time of year that I check my autumn list and make sure I’m present for the seasonal treats that make autumn feel like autumn to me, especially the foods!
I have an apple tree, and I pick an apple every day, usually to grate into my breakfast yoghurt. And I remind myself that tarts and cakes beckon.
Damsons for gin and jam. I’ve a bottle of damson gin from last year, and I remind myself to enjoy it.
Rose hips: I’ve gathered the ones from my Rosa rugosa. I’ve only a handful, so they’re in the freezer until I can gather enough to make syrup. If I can’t, I’ll add them to an apple jelly.
I welcome the game season and make an effort to serve partridge, pheasant and venison.
There are some combinations that I think of as autumnal, none more so than pumpkin and sage. Sage is available year-round. I grow it in a pot, where it suffers somewhat in the summer heat, despite being a Mediterranean plant. The velvety leaves seem to perk up as it cools, and I move it to my doorstep, where I keep my pumpkins and squashes, to remind me to add sage when roasting them or making pasta dishes.
Blue cheese and walnuts, though available throughout the year, feel autumnal to me, especially with the traditional early-autumn grapes or figs.
Mushrooms! The embodiment of autumn, coming up after the autumn rain and smelling of the earth. I look out for parasols when I’m in the park, but otherwise I don’t have much opportunity to go mushroom picking. I look out for chanterelles and other wild mushrooms at the greengrocer’s, and you can get them from Ocado when in stock.
They go beautifully with all of the above!
Autumn is also white truffle season, with this treasure at its peak in late autumn. They are a luxury! I don’t know if I’ll indulge this year. I’m seeing prices of around £180 for just 30g. I used to be able to get them from the Italian deli Camisa on Old Compton Street, which sadly closed in August 2024. I’d pop in and ask about them, to be told they’d be there in a week or so and to come back.
I’d go back after a week to be told, “Not yet. Delivery tomorrow.”
Tomorrow: “Ah, no, sorry. Come back Friday.”
Then Friday. Finally! They were there, and I’d be taken out back to choose one I could afford, which they would pop into a container of rice for me to transport home. I’d get the truffle and a truffle-infused portion of rice! Even if I can’t afford the real thing, I’ll treat myself to a bottle of truffle oil.
Like spring, this is a season of transition, of change, and I try to be present to notice all the changes. So many times, I look up at a tree that had green leaves when I last looked, only to find the leaves are gone, and I think, “When did that happen?” I’ve been deep in thought or brooding.
Much better to look up and around and be aware: track the colour of the leaves and when they start to fall; notice the light changing every day; notice at what point the streetlights come on as you leave the office. Last night, when I left work, the clouds were glowing an ethereal apricot, like a painting by Claude Lorrain, and today I ventured home in mizzle under spooky, moody skies.
Before you know it, it will feel dark all the time, with the trees all bare and gardens dormant, so I like to make the most of the changes. I always feel much better in myself when I take care to be aware.
