Autumn

We are fortunate in the UK to experience four distinct seasons, each with its own personality. I love them all, but Autumn will always be my favourite. Though the calendar insists it doesn’t begin until mid-September, I feel summer fade at the close of August. The mornings turn cooler, the evenings draw in earlier, and a gentle shift begins.

The home begins its own transformation too. The bright zest of summer lemons is replaced by deeper notes—candles of blackberry and bay, or a diffuser with warm, woody tones that seem to match the shifting light outside. I take real joy in these small rituals: striking a match, pouring the first mug of spiced tea, or pulling on a scarf for that bracing first autumn walk when the air carries just a hint of woodsmoke. I fold away summer’s lighter clothes and make space for soft jumpers, thicker socks and the familiar comfort of boots. In the kitchen, plums and apples are gathered from the garden, simmering into compotes and jams that scent the air with their rich sweetness.

The poem To Autumn by John Keats is one of my favourites, always reminding me to savour this “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.” I have such happy memories of walking along country lanes with my late Labrador 'Baggy' foraging for blackberries in the Autumn when the brambles were bursting with fruit. We would pause along the way—he with his tail wagging, me reaching into the tangled hedgerows—and both of us would enjoy picking the juiciest blackberries to eat as we walked. It was such a shared joy which was simple, quiet, and perfect. Any blackberries that made their way home would be frozen to bring a burst of autumn to meals throughout the colder months.

Alongside the balmy golden days that linger, the cooler nights gratefully bring deeper sleep, and the colours shift so beautifully. There is so much enjoyment in seeing the leaves turning amber and russet, with bracken and heather painting the countryside in rich tones. There’s something grounding and honest about this season. Autumn, to me, is both a beginning and a slowing down. It is a season of gathering in, of tending to the home and myself, and of savouring the beauty that ripens all around us.