Autumn Leaves Falling Down

AUTUMN LEAVES FALLING DOWN

Autumn is my absolute favourite season. My favourite time of year. The best time of year. And it always has been for as long as I can remember. Of course I can appreciate the merits of every other season, but there's just something so magical about Autumn in particular. Those final summer days have drawn to a close. A fresh start begins with the turn of September. Christmas gets increasingly nearer, like a glittering promise of joy and happiness on the horizon. Something to look forward to. Something to smile about. People seem to be happier, kinder, more humane. There's a special feeling in the air that runs in parallel to the cosy, warming, autumnal mood that envelopes everyone within its grasp. The clocks go back, the night falls quicker, along with the stars and the moon in the sky. The leaves steadily transition from bright luminous green to gold, lime, terracotta, burgundy, caramel before cascading to the ground and colouring it with warmth. Everybody seeks out their cosy winter coats, patterned scarves, thick gloves, clunky boots. Noses, cheeks, ears are tinted with blush. 

Long country walks or around the autumnal tinged city, Sunday roasts and meals with those you love. Instrumental lead music that warms the soul, evening television, endless cups of hot tea with a biscuit or two thrown in for good measure. Baking pies and puddings and nutritious food, dressing up for Halloween, movie nights and takeaways instead of heading out and braving the cold. Is it any surprise that I love autumn so much? It's such a beautiful, joyful, peaceful and loving season. Over the years my autumns were characterised by the same kind of things, and though I always enjoyed autumn when it came around each year, I didn't realise how much I took it for granted. As you may know, I moved to Manchester last September for university, and since then I've found that the arrival of autumn has rather different connotations to what it used to have all those times before. The way I experience autumn in Manchester, in the very heart of the city, is very different to how I used to experience it back home in Derby, and honestly, I do miss it. I miss it a lot. 

I miss roast dinners and warm puddings with the family on Sunday evening. I miss getting the bus to college in the morning, and chatting together whilst we sat there freezing in our coats and gloves. I miss going to town on a Saturday and having a warm hot chocolate in the cafe, before coming home to watch Saturday night TV. I miss watching Downton Abbey whilst sat on the sofa, wearing my pyjamas with my hair in plaits, in the hopes that it would be wavy for school the next day. I miss going to the park on the outskirts of town, where all the leaves pile up on the floor and you can run through them, leaving a cascade of falling leaves behind you. I miss trick or treating at Halloween around the local neighbourhood. I miss making pumpkin pie together with my dad and sister. I miss being able to hop in the car on a Sunday and escape to the countryside for a long and glorious afternoon walk. The kind of walks where you leave everything else behind, leave your worries by the front door, and instead just spend a few hours escaping it all and regaining peace and clarity. I miss the peace of the countryside, and driving through it with the radio on in the background. I miss seeing the leaves change colour, and having the world around me coloured in all these warm and rich tones. I love Manchester and I love being in the city, don't get me wrong, but it's always this time of year especially that I wish I could escape it all, and just be out there in the spectacular countryside, the freedom of the great outdoors, breathing in the fresh, cool air, leaving all my cares behind, taking in the beauty of the world around me. 

So when I got the chance to come home this last weekend or so, I jumped at the chance, got those train tickets booked well in advance, with dreams of being in the peace of suburbia and the great outdoors propelling me onwards till the day to come home arrived. And boy has it been a marvellous few days. Roast dinner with the family, watching the brilliant Spectre, catching up with friends back home, watching films, making pumpkin pie, doing absolutely no work whatsoever, seeing my Nan and Grandad, going for a lovely afternoon walk, having a delicious carvery, lots of cheesecake... oh, and did I mention that I also finally passed my driving test too? It's been a wonderful, delightful, magical whirlwind the last few days, as October drew to a close and November begins, however I appreciate it all so, so much. I'm very happy. And so with that, as I conclude this long post about my favourite season, I would love to share with you some photographs that I took yesterday afternoon when I went for a walk at a park I've been going to every year since I was little. It was a stunning afternoon, the scenery was so beautiful, and I came away feeling ridiculously content. It was such a simple thing, taking a walk in the park, but it meant the world to me, and I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I do, and have a fabulous November!

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