Autumn approaches

It’s becoming distinctly autumnal on the croft now.

I guess it’s September, so it’s time, but as we’ve had no summer it feels strangely premature.

The blackberries are ripening in the lane, the plums are ready for eating, the trees are laden with rowan berries and the leaves are starting to brown and rustle in the afternoon Southwesterlies.

The early mornings are darkening perceptibly now, and there’s a crispness to the start of the day that wasn’t there in August.

We’re still picking and eating tomatoes and salad leaves, but it feels increasingly incongruous to do so. I’m starting to crave the heavier, richer food of winter as the temperatures fall and the days shorten.

Tonight will be a one-pot Toulouse sausage and lentil casserole that will be rich with tomatoes and pepper paste, and heavy on the garlic.

I love this time of transition between the seasons. It’s the anticipation of autumn with its log fires and smells of woodsmoke and spices. This has always been my favourite time of the year, with the donning of thicker socks (actually I never got out of my thick socks this year, to be honest), warmer layers and darker, cosy evenings.

I would burn a spiced orange candle if I were home alone, but sadly it sets off my husbands asthma so I can’t enjoy that sensory addition to the autumnal mood. I shall burn a beeswax or soy candle instead and be happy with that. Or perhaps bake a fruit cake with cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon to evoke the same scents of warmth and comfort.

Whatever I do, enjoy the transition into autumn and watch the progression of the season with each passing day.

The croft embraces each season and so should we.