Autumn arrives . . .

 

Come little leaves said the wind one day,

Come over the meadows with me, and play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold,

for summer is gone and the

days grow cold.

~George Cooper 

Welcome to the first day of Autumn  . . .  the hush before Winter . . . the nights really begin to draw in now,  and the mornings holds a distinct chill in the air as the sun begins to lose her grip . . .  

 

 The air  . . .  it is as cool as an old silver teaspoon that has not long since come from your cup . . .  with the vestiges of the summer's warmth still clinging to it's edges . . . lingering teasingly . . .  a faint tang of blue woodsmoke in the air . . . and the promise of coming frosts . . . 

 I sat in a chair by the window yesterday, sipping on an earthy herbal tea . . . an herbs'n honey infusion . . .  it smelled all woodsy. It brushed my mouth with  whispers of spearmint, eucalyptus, fennel and wild oranges . . . laced through with the mildest touch of honey. It was good. 

 

 As I sat and sipped it's earthy warmth . . .  watching rain falling  . . . I heard the song of autumn days   . . . embroidered with the dazzling colour and light of the changing leaves . . .  infused with the glow of scarlet maples and garnet oaks . . .   thickets ablaze with pale gold and cinnamon . . .  the music of a trillion rustling trumpets in the autumn breezes.  

 

 I closed my eyes for a moment and thought of our garden which is really beginning to lose it's glory now.  I dreamt of some of the Autumn days we spent in Kent. For just a moment I was back there, on a warm autumn day . . . walking with Jess  and Todd through the orchards . . . golden cobnuts crunching beneath our feet, making them ache, but in a good way.  The upper pastures grey green and tranquil . . . the view of the south downs stretching out before us for seemingly miles and miles . . . 

 

 Orange and ruby branches flamed  against skies as soft as the breast of a dove . . . old grey stone ledges holding whatever warmth from the sun that they could . . . the light of the waning sun golden on  fallen burrs . . . that lay there longing for adventure . . . clinging to our socks in their bid to hitch a ride to places they have hitherto only dreamt of going . . . 

 

Time  . . .  we cannot keep it from passing.  One day follows another and is destined to become but a memory, tinged with whatever colour we have chosen to brush it with. As sure as Summer days will pass, with their warmth and sunshine and garden glories, Autumn will follow. We cannot stop its arrival. We can only welcome it with open arms and hope that  each day will bring us some small joy . . .  a pleasant memory to add to all of the others we have stored in our hearts.   

I love that the human soul has the capacity to hold a multitude of simple joys and pleasures  . . .  they far outweigh the sad if we let them.  Sometimes it is a deliberate choice we need to make and other times it just comes naturally . . . .  but I am grateful for its resilience and its capacity to bounce back. If for a moment or two your heart feels as if it might break into a bazillion pieces, rest in the promise that these moments need not be forever moments. 

This has been a sad, sad year for me.  A part of me is quite relieved that time is moving, sometimes seemingly rushing . . .  towards the year's end. Still  another part of me fears that all of the losses are not quite finished and that there are more to come.  I try to quash those thoughts.  I do not want to embroider my days with sad thoughts and feelings, and so I think of skittering leaves and autumn walks . . . of blazing thickets and cosy fires . . . I bake pies and biscuits. I knit scarves. I paint.  I busy my heart with other things, and try to rest in the goodness of my days. 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree.

~ Emily Bronte •。★★ 。* 。 

  

In the English Kitchen today, Chicken & Parm Pasta Skillet.  Simple and tasty. 

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and a wonderful week.  Don't forget along the way . . .  

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And I do too!