I’m An Autumn Girl

I may be an August baby but I’m far more of an ‘October girl’. Autumn is definitely my season, being a redhead I’ve always tended to favour the autumnal colour palettes especially in terms of fashion and beauty. That and I have a bit of a thing about leaves, they were the main theme of our wedding back in 2007 when everything from the dress, the suits, the tables, the stationary even down to the wrapping paper was covered in a leaf motif. I’ve since continued to use leafy themes and shades of mocha to decorate around the house, I guess I am just ‘an autumn gal’ through and through.

Whilst the weather may not be entirely ‘wonderful’ right about now there has been the odd day or two where we have been able to walk without the aid of an umbrella through piles of golden, crunchy leaves whilst breathing in the crisp autumn air. Those are the days which make Autumn awesome in my eyes; that beautiful pale sunshine painting shadows across the playground as the children play, the faint smell of chimney smoke wafting by, the pumpkins piled high in the shops alongside the tea-light candles and the Halloween costumes ready for the kids to rock trick or treating.

I often hear people complaining that Halloween has been americanised as once upon a time here in the UK we were all about the turnips and the treacle toffee. These days though we go all out with parties, pumpkins and panoply and why not? I love Halloween, always have and always will!

We have a huge trunk filled with dressing up clothes upstairs, although no matter how many costumes we seem to have the kids always ask for more! We’ve had the kids dressed in a vast array out of outfits over the years including skeletons, wizards, witches, pumpkins, spiders, ghosts and all kinds of ghoulish getup!

I’ve spent time and effort putting together Halloween bunting which we hang across the living room each year along with a range of Halloween decorations which I have been slowly adding to each year. I would love to have the cash to splash to go ‘all out’ with lights, tomb stones and skeletons in the front garden but with Halloween being for just ‘one night’ I tend to keep the costs down and keep things fairly simple.

As a family we watch films, play games and read spooky stories in the run up to Halloween. We also take the kids to a couple of parties around the local area so that they can get more than one wear out of whatever costume they’ve managed to wangle the wonga from our wallets for each year.

As winter edges ever closer, temperatures plummet and the dark nights begin to draw in. Rather than  braving the worst of the weather we seek comfort in snuggling on the sofa whilst sipping hot drinks and soaking up the seasonal television.

It’s at this time of year that the hats, the gloves, the scarves, the boots and the winter coats make their debut. Wrapping us warm as we head out on the school run with our umbrellas at the ready which is precisely what I am about to do.

Once again our local area is struggling with flooding and many of the schools have closed early for the day to allow students and staff to travel home safely. Thankfully I only need to nip around the corner to collect our kids which is a relief as I’m not feeling particularly well nor do I wish to venture far in the current climate.

It’ll most definitely be hot drinks and snacks when the kids get home, that and some serious snuggle time on the sofa which is precisely what Autumn is all about.