Things To Love About Autumn

Everything. Well that was short and sweet wasn’t it?

Seriously though, autumn has to be my most favourite season so I thought I’d give it a little shout out before winter arrives. I think a lot of artists probably love autumn for much the same reasons as me. Here’s what I love about it. I hope you can fall in love with it too. See what I did there?

Leaves – Not just any old leaves but leaves that change daily. Yellows, russets, browns, reds and everything in between. The way that some leaves even have ALL of those colours in one leaf. The shapes of them all too with every one being different. Some with holes that have been created by little creatures chomping on them. It’s just a colour palette of gorgeousness everywhere you look. I recently saw an ombre tree on Instagram. It was like someone had painted it. They had. It was Mother Nature ;).
Acorns – There’s a perilous walk along the river near me. Why perilous I hear you ask? Well if you get along that path without being bounced on the bonce by a cheeky falling acorn, you’ve done well. They’re like little people with hats on aren’t they? No, just me? The acorns in the photograph above are the bonce bouncers that got me.
Pine cones – They’re so pretty aren’t they? I drew one recently so had to really study it. They’re like a little crowd all cuddling into each other to keep warm. I love that you can pick them up closed, pop them into your pocket and voilå. When you take them back out, a metamorphosis has occurred. They look like they’re a whole new cone because they’ve opened right up. It’s probably left all the beasties living inside to roam around your pocket too but we’ll never speak about that. This is one of the rare things I think you’re totally allowed to take home because the tree doesn’t want it anymore. So why not give them a new home? Make them smell gorgeous with a few drops of your favourite essential oils and pop them in a bowl as a seasonal decoration that will make your room smell divine. Add some colour with a little dab of paint on the outer edges of the scales. You could also paint the edges with glue and dip them in glitter because everything looks better rolled in glitter. Use the eco friendly non sheddable stuff though. You’ll be hoovering the other stuff up for decades to come. Tie a ribbon around the scales to use as hanging decorations or use some florists wire and attach them to your Christmas tree. You could also use them as place settings. Just stick a name card into the scales. Or maybe use them to decorate a door wreath. These little beauties are the vinegar of the natural world, proper little multitaskers. Just don’t try to clean your windows with them.
Helicopters – No, not the ones that fly the big bosses of multinational companies around. I’m talking about the seeds that fall from the trees. They actually do fly when you thrust them into the air – hence the name. Around here these little helicopter seeds tend to come from sycamore trees. Yeah, the ones with the lovely shaped leaves. As if they’re not cool enough. They also come from maple and ash trees. I like to think the insects use them to get around.
Skies – Yes, I’m well aware that the sky is always there. But there’s something about an autumn sky. They’re just a bit more well, interesting. I’m not sure whether it’s the fact that the days are shorter so you have less time to appreciate them or whether it’s because the sun sets while I’m still working and I get to see the gorgeous colours out of the window. Of course there’s always the fact that when it’s raining outside and the clouds are looking stormy, you’re safely tucked up in the house with a big living picture to watch. And the stars look so much brighter in the autumn and winter.
Coolness – The days of summer are long gone. Let’s face it, here in the UK the hot days are usually a distant memory by the time autumn arrives. I love it when you can feel a nip in the air but there’s still a warmness to it. When you can safely get out a jumper or sweatshirt and know that it’s not going to be on again, off again. There’s just that lovely crispness to the air and when the low autumn sun shines on your face and you close your eyes, well ain’t that a treat?
Walks in the woods – It doesn’t really have to be the woods but because it’s one of my favourite places, that’s where I’m taking you. There’s nothing like a walk in the woods. The smell of the wood in the damp weather, the crunchiness of the leaves as you pass the huge ferns and fungi. The blackberries that are crying out to be made into blackberry pies or crumbles. Just watch out for the steaming leaves. Sometimes those cute little doggos who also love the woods leave smelly parcels under those crunchy leaves. Bah!
Hats and scarves – And maybe even gloves but my hands have to be freezing for that. I can’t do anything with gloves on. So much so that I bought ski mittens. Yes mittens, because if I can’t do anything, my fingers may as well be able to warm each other up in one giant sleeping bag. But hats and scarves, I never need an excuse for. I absolutely love a bobble hat. I don’t particularly like my hair afterwards since I had a fringe cut in because nobody needs to have a fringe that splattered against their head but I’ll suffer it for the bobble.
Hedgehogs – How cute are they? Also, they can run like the wind which begs the question, why do you see so many who didn’t quite make it across the road? I love a visit from a hedgehog, not that it happens often. With their cute little faces and spiky spines, it’s easy to forget they’re probably harder than us in a fight. The little ninja’s of the woodland world. They’re welcome to the spiders around here any time. And they have the right idea. Hibernation through the months they’re not keen on. We could learn something from that.
Colours – As an artist, what’s not to love? It just makes you want to get the paints out. When you pass by a wooded area and see all those beautiful colours together, the lovely earthy toned colour palettes of the A/W clothing ranges and the fact that I get to wear my walking boots without anyone batting an eyelid (which seems odd in the summer). Candlelight which creates a mood that no electric lamp can. The warm and toasty log fires when you enter a country restaurant or pub, making the atmosphere so cosy that you want to go and live in a remote log cabin in the woods. Surely that can’t just be me? I’ll take all of that because autumn rocks.