Autumn, the best season of the year

Crisp air, bright sunshine, gorgeous colourful leaves and cool winds announce the start of autumn. You cannot wait to tantalise your taste buds with delicious pumpkin & apple pies, heart-warming soups and pumpkin spice lattes. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold and perfect for long walks. With leaves rustling under your feet, sun shining through the beautiful, coloured trees, birds chirping away and cool fresh air, you cannot help getting inspired in this magical season.

“I loved Autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.” Lee Maynard

Now is the time to take out your cosy jumpers, warms scarfs, stylish boots and colourful hats. Nothing beats having a delicious pie with a cuppa wearing your favourite cosy jumper while enjoying the fascinating autumn view from your window or watching a feel-good movie or ‘Strictly come dancing’ at night snuggled up at your home. I found ‘Emily in Paris’ this year’s best autumn watch so far 😊

‘Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald

For me, Autumn is the time for self-care and taking out time for myself. I try to invest some time (and money) in skincare. After a hectic and outdoorsy summer, I need time for myself to pause and reflect on my work & personal goals and aspirations. Usually summer is about having lots of outdoor activities and a couple of holidays away (if there are no COVID travel restrictions). Autumn provides us the much needed calmness for reflection and gratitude.

Our family does not go overboard with Halloween celebrations. I think this would have been the first year my daughter would have enjoyed Halloween as she is now old enough to understand it. With the current COVID restrictions, we cannot do trick or treat so nothing is planned for this year. I know Halloween is a huge celebration in the USA. Everyone does elaborate Halloween decorations at their houses. We were there in 2015 and enjoyed the Halloween night at Times Square (this was pre-kids :D) The east coast looks glorious in all its autumnal colours.

People living in USA and Canada also get to celebrate Thanksgiving in Autumn. It must be wonderful to have turkey and pies with your family and friends like family. We do not have Thanksgiving in the UK. It would have been so nice to have it here as well. You can never have too many holidays and it is a fabulous time to be thankful to God for a lot of things – this season being one of them!

When I was in school in Pakistan, we would start the Christmas tableau practice from September. I could almost smell Christmas in Autumn when we would start the rehearsals. I was a soprano singer at my school choir. This meant having an hour’s carol singing practice every morning. Sister Grace teaching us how to take in a deep breath and tilting the head slightly forward to reach those high notes and what foods to avoid to preserve our voices is one of my fondest memories. So much effort was put in singing and Christmas drama practice. No wonder the Convent Christmas Tableau was considered the best in Lahore.

In Autumn, it’s fantastic to go out for nature walks with kids, enjoy the autumnal beauty and pick up the colourful leaves. We also love apple and pumpkin picking in October. I think the pies taste better when you pick your own (PYO) apples and pumpkins 😊 I love making pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and apple pie. This year I made my own pumpkin spice latte for the first time. It turned out really good but Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte is still my absolute favourite. Craigies is our go-to PYO farm. Their café is amazing, and they are fastidious in following the government guidelines for COVID: https://craigies.co.uk/

‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven’ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Hope you are enjoying this most beautiful season of the year. Happy Fall y’all 😊 x