This time of year fills me with mixed emotions. I don't like autumn for many reasons. The closing in of the days, the onset of the cold, the rain. I loathe the rain. And the wind, which unsettles me and gets under my skin. But autumn is the time for gales and this year's proving to be no exception to the rule. What else is there? Oh yes. I don't like knowing we are sliding inexorably into winter either.
All of this leaves me pretty melancholic.
But there is the other side of autumn. When, or maybe I mean if, the sun shines, it is quite breathtakingly beautiful. As nature urges the trees to shed their leaves, the colours that emerge are so warm, so rich and so golden it is just glorious. Walking country lanes and scuffing through the heaped up leaves as I did when I was small help me shake off that cloak of blues brought on by the dark and gloomy days. Then there are those special autumnal scents: the whiff of woodsmoke on the breeze, the pungent smell of manure on the fields, the damp earthiness of the fallen leaves. I love them.
Funnily enough, autumn always makes me nostalgic for Belgium. I have precious memories of walking in Wallonia with Koos and Sindy when we had the barge in Brussels. I don't know why autumn evokes these memories particularly, but the two are linked, or should I say three, since Sindy was such an important part of that life.
Anyway, what all this is leading to is that we've had two beautiful walks just this week: the first was on Monday before I went back to work, and then again today when we nipped over the border for a curative dose of Belgium. I took a few snaps to savour the moments so here they are, just for the beauty of it.
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Old barges in the Nostalgic Harbour
on the Gent-Terneuzen Canal at Sas van Gent |
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| The nostalgic harbour at Sas from a distance |
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| For the bus to nowhere, Wachtebeke, Belgium |
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| Cropping the last goodness from the grass |
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| Hedges field: I took this for Carol Hedges :) |
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| The distant sentinals |
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| Colour and light |
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| Whichever way you go, I'll be watching you |
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| Scuffing leaves, or rather leaves for scuffing |
How does autumn make you feel? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend allemaal.
I love the colours of autumn and those days which are still warm and drowsy. November and December are too gloomy for me. Even an October gale seems full of vigour and spirit, so I can live with the discomfort it brings.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the gloomy part, Christina, but the Gales bother me no end. We've had a humdinger this evening. I suppose it has to do with being on board and just escaping before a tree came down on the hatches. Gales in my mind equate with damage and danger.
DeleteHow does winter make me feel, Val? You've already written it...except here, there is no escape to Belgium! Gorgeous photos. (Steph) "This time of year fills me with mixed emotions. I don't like autumn for many reasons. The closing in of the days, the onset of the cold, the rain. I loathe the rain. And the wind, which unsettles me and gets under my skin. But autumn is the time for gales and this year's proving to be no exception to the rule. What else is there? Oh yes. I don't like knowing we are sliding inexorably into winter either."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steph. I know you know how I feel about the seasons and I know you feel it too. Thinking of you with sympathy, dear xx
DeleteA beautifully written account, Val, I love your wistful thoughts. For me, the drama of sudden gales is exciting, but also unsettling. I love the changing leaf colours at this time of year. Our forest looks magical at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Beth. I’m sure your forest is absolutely stunning! I’d love to see it. As for the wind, to me it just means damage and drama, but in truth I’ve hated it since I was a child. I just want to hibernate until the spring comes.
DeleteHi Val - great photos with captions: wonderful ones! Glad you had your Belgium fix ... and hope those gales of yesterday haven't done too much damage - we certainly had a fair share in this little island ... but Eastbourne is protected by Beachy Head ... and there's lots of flooding. It at least is dry and light this morning ... yesterday was very soggy! There were some fireworks I could watch ... but go safely and here's to the rest of Autumn ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThank you as always for your good cheer, Hilary. And for dropping in when you're so busy! I hope life is sorting itself out for you now and I'll look forward to reading your posts now that you've resumed your blogging! x
DeleteBeautiful autumn stroll, thank you for sharing and greetings from South Africa!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for dropping by Patricia. A piece of my heart resides forever in South Africa. I lived there for 20 years and miss it still so much. You feel like a connection with my past!
DeleteAutumn is my favourite season, but then living in a sub-tropical climate, it is not really challenging. After a long hot Summer the coolness is bliss, and we have wonderful blue skies. Sadly, we do not having falling or golden leaves! I don't think I would enjoy the rains and gales either. Your Belgium photos are exquisite - what a beautiful place. The picture of the old barges is just lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia. I remember loving autumn in South Africa because it remained warm during the day but cooled down at night. It was perfect. We also didn't have much in the way of falling leaves. Only the oak trees really, but I loved it there. Enjoy your spring! I hope it doesn't get too hot too early for you.
DeleteThose walks looks absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Lydia. They were quite magical!
DeleteHi Val, your viewpoint of autumn reminded of Winnie the Pooh. I loved those stories as a child. Reading them as an adult takes on a deeper understanding. Autumn is sweater weather, kicking at the colorful leaves that have fallen on the walkway, snuggling under a homemade blanket, reading newly released books,drinking hot chocolate, watching hockey on TV, and preparing for the upcoming holidays. But, it also evokes a lonely feeling, the changing of the leaves is a beautiful fair well reminding us that soon those trees will just be bare limbs exposed to the elements. The lonely feeling comes from missing my dad who always pointed out nature's story in a way no one else I've met has replicated. Memories. So now I picture you, like Pooh bear, wearing a hand knitted scarf, walking amidst the leaves as they swirl with the wind around your feet.
ReplyDeleteOh Patti, your feelings for autumn are quite similar to mine, but are more personal. The memories of your dad must be very poignant. I'm very happy to be associated with Pooh bear, though. What a lovely thought! Thank you for your beautiful comment, dear.
DeleteThe autumn (Fall) is different where I live. I live in a very sunny and warm place so in many respects it is a time when the temperatures cool down some. However, I do enjoy spring the most because it is when everything comes to life. Fortunately where I live, the sun shines most of the time. Where I grew up, it would be dark and gloomy which is not something I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteDon, thank you! I thought I'd replied here, but I think I must have gone straight to your blog and commented there. I'm glad you live in a sunshiny place now.
DeleteWhat beautiful skies in the first two pictures. And I liked the hedge field, because it looks rather baffling. I usually feel a bit like you about autumn but this year it's been lovely. I think I missed the prettiest part last year when I went to Mauritius. By the way I posted anohter photo of Dorset for you at the bottom of the post. Summer does seem a long time ago, even though it was really an Indian summer of course.
ReplyDeleteJenny, most people seem to have had a glorious autumn this year. I've seen some wonderful photos with such vivid colours. Sadly, ours has been distinguished by being wet, wet and more wet. These walks were precious breaks in the rain, but since I only take photos in the sunshine, this is what I'll remember, thankfully.
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