Do you want to know the problem with today?
Sure you do. Settle in. The problem with today is that even though autumn's only just begun and you've barely started to relax into your pumpkin candles and maple lattes, it's suddenly November. And in November, there's the inevitable slide into the thing that no one wants to mention yet. And even though no one wants to mention it yet, it's one payday away, and shit needs to get sorted.
This blog is not about Christmas. Nope, this blog is about clinging to the autumnal thrills of the season and eking out all the good stuff before chaos and stress rock up. This is a love letter to autumn and winter, rather than Christmas. A love letter to the joys of the present, not the upcoming future. To be completely honest, this is a love letter for anyone in the UK still furious at last week's clock change. Let my words wash over you, let them sink in. Consider them my gift to you.
So now it's dark by 5pm. If summer nights are your favourite thing, that's no fun. But dark nights equal cosy nights. Picture the scene: Work is over, your kids are in bed, and you've had your tea. What to do with your remaining evening? Here's something you simply cannot do in summer. Well, you could but you'd look deranged. You can put on your PJs, you can open the book that you're currently engrossed in, and you can curl up on the sofa and spend the entire evening reading. This is not a summer activity. It's purely for the now times and it's great.
TAKE IT EASY WITH TELLY
The TV schedules are epic. That's just a fact. Once September arrived, all the channels were boasting about their line ups. The UK autumn listings have included new series of Celebrity Traitors, Great British Bake Off, Slow Horses, Rivals, Blue Lights, and Black Doves. Plus there's some newly commissioned shows. The Split Up, Youth, It Gets Worse, Yaga, and War are all there for the watching. The televisual options over the summer months cannot compare. I assume scheduling execs expect people to be out gallivanting when it's hot so don't feel the need to bother. Come autumn, they've bothered so much. Amazing.
If you love a summer wardrobe, I probably won't sway you, but let me try. When you're too hot, you're too hot. Barring full nudity - and I feel we must - there's only so much you can do to cool down, so when the temperatures soar we struggle. In autumn, as the temperatures drop, layers are our friend. We can be indoors with a long sleeved tee, and then add a cardy when it gets colder. Add a coat for when we need to leave the house and we're sorted. A visible t-shirt under a jumper is my favourite look - on anyone. Layers are sexy and autumn is when they return. This summer was a long hot slog. Let's enjoy having to layer up.
LAZE IN THE LIGHTS
Dark nights mean we need additional light. Natch. But there are so many options. Of course, there's always the big light. Or not. That only switched on when someone's lost the back of their earring on the carpet. Forget that, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about soft table lamps, flickering scented candles, or tea lights dotted along a mantlepiece. I'm talking about the white-glow of fairy lights strung along a wall. Creative lighting is what the season is all about. How boring when the only light we need is the stupid, glaring sun.
Autumn's seasonal eating is better than summer's seasonal eating. There, I said it. Look, strawberries, the other berries, radishes, asparagus, and watercress are all well and good. I like those things and will eat them again next summer. But do they satisfy my hunger? Are they substantial? Do they excite me? No they do not. Here's what gets my taste buds tingling (as much as any fruit or veg can). Apples, squash, celeriac, potatoes, pumpkin, red cabbage, chestnuts. Mm mm mmmm. Cosy, warming, and a filling part of any meal. I can never get excited about salad, even when I'm enjoying it. I'm all about the hardy root veg. Well done to them for their resilience in the hard, wintry soil.
DELIGHT IN DRINKS
It's not just food. Drinks also get more interesting at this time of year. You can't walk past a coffee shop right now without smelling their cinnamon, pumpkin, or maple syrups. And that's before we get onto cocktails. I'm still a recent convert to a cocktail and that's because I was doing them wrong. I'd always assumed cocktails were just boozy cordial. Fruity, juicy, and something for a summer holiday. That's before I discovered winter cocktails. Check out the menu pictured. It's from one of my favourite places in Edinburgh. I'd go for a Maple Rum Old Fashioned or What's Schnappening? (And not just because of the name, which is an honest-to-God delight.) Flavours like apples, vanilla, maple, and almonds are spot on for the chilly weather. How wonderfully winter-warming.
I won't lie, I could do this all day. I could take every day experiences like eating, drinking, or putting the lights on, and show how they just got better by virtue of the season change. Ultimately, however, it's up to you. If you hate the dark nights and colder weather, none of this will change that fundamental for you. I'm not a magician, soz. However, if the next time you feel fed up with something autumn/winter-based, I'm happy to have provided what a reframed perspective might look like. Alternatively, come June, when things start getting sweaty again, you can smugly provide me with my own reframed perspective. How's that for a plan?
Have a lovely week, folks.
