Friday 19 October 2007

Autumn Days when the Grass is Jewelled

I am not a fan of the colder months of the year. Any month from September through to April will usually find me cuddled up under many layers of jumpers, complaining about the office heating and overdosing on coffee just to keep warm. It also finds me sullen and morose, particularly as the nights start getting longer and the rain sets in. My patience, never particularly good at the best of times, gets very low, and I get stroppy over people that I consider to be fools. In short, I'm not a happy bunny, and I'm definitely not a nice person to know.

However...

We are now over midway through October, and I've been finding myself suprisingly cheerful. I've been looking out at the crisp blue skies and looking forward to my lunch break because it means I can get outside. Even though waking up to the alarm clock is still difficult, I'm not finding waking up in the dark depressing. I've been really enjoying watching the leaves changing colours, and have particularly enjoyed the walk to and from work, where I've been finding the biggest piles of dead leaves and scuffing through them, watching them fly into the air, or crunch underfoot. (probably making far too much work for the poor street cleaners - sorry!) Yes, I'm wearing two jumpers at the moment, and my scarf and gloves have come out (no hat yet, but I'm sure that will be making an appearance in a matter of weeks), but the bundling up has made me feel warm and cosy, not down.

I'm not sure if this is all part of the a outlook on life in general, whether the cathartic post a few months ago has helped to clear more than just those old injuries, or whether married life is agreeing with me!

We shall see if this good humour continues, particularly into winter and the first snows...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do recall being in Londontown around about this time of the year, and having to wear all my traveller's clothes at once. Neither did i see myself, as all the mirrors were stoned over with cold. My suggestions as to the relative merits of central heating were met with the sort of stare one only uses for abject stupidity... of course the hearth was the matrix of all heat for the house, a meeting place for all the members of any house and the natural place to partake of meals; I soon learned to shut up and take tea in silence by the hearthstone and telly, like all normal people.

That said, i suspect that your recent felicitations might have something to do with your uplifted mood... may you always remain in the glow!

best wishes, anan

uphilldowndale said...

Keep kicking the leaves, we all need a little autumn sunshine to lift the spirits after such a wan summer.

Anonymous said...

Good Grief, Anan! When were you there - the 1900's? Always knew you were getting on a bit!

Jo - sorry, Anan and I go back a fair way - your writing made me quite homesick. Here in Illinois we dropped from 85F to 55F to 38F over two days. Barely time to change from shorts to long pants without getting frostbite. The trees here don't change color any more. Their leaves just stay green and wither, and then they fall. How I long for those cold, rainy days of a British autumn. Strange species, aren't we?

Jo said...

Anan - definitely feels a bit Victorian ;-) Having said that, we don't have our central heating on that much, even now (it is set at 18C and unless things get very icy, won't go any higher), but that is because I'm a stingy bugger and don't like giving the gas company any more money than I absolutely have to! Would much rather wear a second jumper...

Uphilldowndale - I will :-) until they turn to mush, and then I will probably slip over on them... We have had a nice 'Indian Autumn' so far to make up for all the misery over the summer - we shall see how long it lasts for!

RJ - How do you cope with that drop in temperature?! (29-15-3 Centigrade for any readers who, like me, only work in "new money" ;-) ) I'd love the 29/85, would have to bundle up completely for the 15/55, and would hibernate completely for the 3/38!

Anonymous said...

With difficulty. This is a new trend. Once, autumn was the best season (the only good one!) in Illinois. Serene, balmy, with wonderful fall color. The last two years have seen no autumn, just a sharp drop from high summer temperatures to cold winter. It will get a lot chillier though, -10C to -30C are not uncommon temperatures for an Illinois winter.

Anonymous said...

You've put your finger on it exactly, old man! It's what i meant to say, that it seemed a bit like oldeney times to be travelling through countryside so chill without central heating!

And i did look a bit like the Michelin Man, walking with all those layers on... hee hee

It's getting cold here, in Canada; how are you faring there? Do you have snow yet?

anan