and the smell of

rhubarb crumble cooking in the oven for later

Autumn

I love Autumn. There is a smell to Autumn like no other season, except Winter, has. Autumn smells of damp leaves changing colour on the trees, sticking to the bottom of your shoes/boots and the buggy's wheels. Autumn is the puddles on the pavement after rain which aren't deep enough to wet daughter no.2's feet but just deep enough for her wellied feet to jump into and splash about. Autumn is the sun lying low in the mornings so that you still have to put your sunglasses on for the school run. It's the cold sunny mornings that give you still enough time to hang your washing out on the line and have it dry by the afternoon, but leave it on the line too long and it's damp again. It's the dogs - and the cat - snuggling up together on the sofa in the evening, sharing each other's warmth. It's the prospect of very soon having to put firelogs on the shopping list so that in the evening we can all warm up with a fire blazing in the hearth in the front room.

This year I love Autumn for another very important reason. Daughter no. 2 starts full time school next week and although on one hand I am dreading it (my mornings are going to be very quiet with her not here and son no.2 having his morning slumbers) but on the other hand I'm excited, for her as she adores school, her teacher, her classmates - and for me, as whilst son no.2 is still young enough to have his morning slumbers, I will have my mornings back again to do with what I wish. And what I wish for is to create - my sewing machine is calling out to me every day and every day I have to tell her to wait just a few more days......then her semi retirement will be over.

And another reason to love Autumn, it's the season of my favourite "holiday" - Halloween - and heralds the start of the countdown to Christmas.