It’s memories of the autumns of my childhood that stick in my mind, more so than of the summers, Christmases even. Skipping through the fallen leaves in the playground. Seeing the hedgerows ripen with brightly coloured berries. The harvest festivals at school (not to mention the associated songs - anyone else still able to recite “Autumn Days” and “Cauliflowers Fluffy” word for word?!). These little vignettes are immediately brought back into my mind’s eye as soon as summer gives way to the new season and that back to school feeling kicks in.
I look back on these times so fondly, and the way that, even then, nature was such a big part of my life, but also with a sense of grief, for the lost years in between then and when, about five years ago now, I re-discovered just how much I still needed it.
For me, autumn going into winter gives me more of a New Year feeling than in January, particularly as I follow the Celtic Wheel of the Year, where Samhain on 31st October marks the transition from one year to the next. And so makes this the perfect time to revisit my Substack and get creative with writing once again.
Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree
-Emily Brontë
I’ve been wanting to get my Substack going again and cultivate a regular writing practice for some time now. More and more I find myself stepping away from Instagram and other platforms that I feel no longer bring me joy, and over to this collection of curated loveliness from kindred spirits and likeminded souls. Rather than mindlessly scrolling, I now take time to read, digest and enjoy the content here, learn from it and get inspired. A lot of my favourite Instagram accounts are creating the most beautiful, amazing spaces over here and if I can create something even half as delightful as those then I will be happy (although I have a fair bit to learn first!)
So expect seasonal musings, nature observations and gentle reflections. I am not sticking to a schedule, just posting as and when I feel inspired to. If you’ve made it this far then thank you, and welcome again to my little corner of Substack. I promise I won’t leave it so long next time.
Cauliflowers fluffy ! Thank you for reminding me of that xx