They said it was going to be a drab autumn, on account of the drought, but it was actually quite dramatic.
My friend Nancy says every autumn has its own dominant colour, and I think this year it was orange. I don’t know if there actually were more orange trees this year or if I was just more inspired to photograph the orange ones.
Autumn is such a bittersweet time of year. It’s so stunning and gorgeous as it ripens to the peak of perfection, but at some level I always dread the peak because I know how brief it will be. The first blast of wind or rain strips those trees naked, and then everything is stark and grey and cold. (Except we usually do get a brief respite in Indian Summer, which helps psychologically.)
I feel kind of sad for people who live in places where there aren’t distinctive seasons. Here in Canada, winter is grueling, but it’s a small price to pay for spring. We live completely different lives in the summer than in the winter. Part of the reason we appreciate autumn so much is because we don’t have time to take it for granted.
We change everything with the seasons: our wardrobes, food, drinks, activities, even our decor. And it seems the transition is always welcome, no matter which season we’re moving out of or into. We all seem to love that first magical sparkly snowfall in December, even if we almost universally hate winter by February.
Autumn’s almost over, but winter’s not here yet. Some of my favourite trees are naked already. November is the only month that seems to fall between seasons.
We’ll be moving into the cozy time of year soon. Soups and stews and sweaters and quilts and red wine and curling up on the couch with a good book, a hot cup of something, and a warm cat.
As soon as all the leaves have fallen, I’ll be ready to embrace that.
I’ve actually found this autumn to be surprisingly red – at least around where I live. It has been pretty amazing though! Not looking forward to the snowy winter they are predicting though.
Oooh, I hadn’t heard they were predicting a snowy winter. Let’s hope they got it wrong again. (Although, on second thought, I think the farmers need a snowy winter to get some serious moisture into the ground come spring.)
Thanks for posting all the beautiful pictures of the Fall. It is such a nice time of the year.
You’re welcome, Kathleen. I’m glad you liked them.
Gorgeous pictures. Fall has always been my favorite season in more ways than one…I love the weather (no more humidity). I love my fall clothes; cozy sweaters and boots. I love the idea of comfort food; using the oven, not just the bbq. I love turning (yes turning) the fireplace on. I would be happy to live in a country that had fall for 9 months…I would take summer for three.
I love all those things too but in an ideal world I’d take a woodstove over the fireplace. Don’t you think you’d get tired of fall if it lasted for 9 months? (Kind of like pregnancy, after the novelty wears off…)
Stunning! Here in Florida, we only have a few trees that turn colors like that, and even those don’t change until November or December. Thanks for the “leaf porn”!
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