Autumn

It’s my favourite time of year, again.  The time of year that bids farewell to the sweet, sticky heat of summer…to those long days and warm nights; to sun on your skin and chlorine in your hair; to swatting pesky mosquitos and donning large brimmed hats to prevent my pale Irish skin from becoming raw, red and blistered.  To popsicles and watermelons, burgers on the grill, iced tea and lemonade.

While I always welcome the warmth of summer after dark Winter days and Spring’s bright freshness, there is little that exhilirates me more than that first brisk autumn morning, the air thick with the smell of fallen leaves.  To that first Pumpkin Spice anything, to trees at their most magnificent: donning yellow, orange, and red.  To days that darken before dinner and hearty pots of soup on the stove.

My girl, loving those incredible red leaves.

In Ireland, the autumns were quite different.  They haven’t yet caught on to the pumpkin thing (how I missed pumpkin spice lattes, those four years), and the trees don’t sport incredible ombre coats like they do here in the States.  But to me, there is nothing like walking out into an Irish autumn afternoon and smelling the woody, sweet bonfire scent of smoke billowing from chimneys; the earthy scent of peat enveloping me like a warm blanket that I can't experience anywhere else in the world. The comforting smell of childhood autumns gone by and mother nature’s whisper that winter is just around the corner.  And I do miss it very much. 

And now, on All Hallows Eve, I sit here contemplating where this Autumn has gone.  Could it really be almost November?  In the shops, Christmas is already taking over and although I – truly - love Christmas, I find myself wishing that we could simply savour the season upon us before barreling toward the next.

To that end, I suppose I should practice what I preach and enjoy each moment as it comes.

"Moo"-at-the-Zoo.  Not so sure about that cow....

Our life has taken a drastic change of course in the last few weeks and in a few months time we will begin an entirely new life in an entirely new place.  You likely already know what the big change is, but I decided to dust off the old blog so that as the months progress, I can keep you you in the loop as you follow us on our (next) new adventure.

Happy Halloween!