Welcome back, dearest autumn!

In my souls bells are ringing, proclaiming the return of my perpetually favourite season. Today soft precipitation continues to fall, milky grey skies etching out a gentle backdrop for the increasingly golden leaves that line the busy neighbourhood streets. As the hours of the first day of autumn tick merrily by, I find myself reflecting on the great many elements of this time of the year that I treasure, from chilly – but not quite freezing – nights to the desire to add cinnamon and nutmeg to nearly everything I bake.

With fall’s arrival I feel suddenly more at peace with the word, which isn’t to say I was at odds with it, but rather that with each leaf that flutters off into the wind, the world is – if only for a moment – taking one of my worries or burdens with is. As I glance out the large living room window, water droplets bouncing like exploding popcorn kernels on railing of the balcony, the words of a Longfellow poem that is perfectly fit for autumn’s rebirth spring to mind...


Autumn
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,

With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,

Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,

And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!

Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,

Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand

Outstretched with benedictions o'er the land,

Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!

Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended

So long beneath the heaven's o'er-hanging eaves;

Thy steps are by the farmer's prayers attended;

Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;

And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,

Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!


Such eloquent words to capture how I feel on this tranquil Tuesday, my mind filled with thoughts about the upcoming season and the myriad of elements that I adore about it.

The following Flickr mosaic is comprised of some of my very favourite fall experiences, flavours, sites and memories. What, my dear readers, are some of the things that you adore most about fall?



{1. The edge at sunset, 2. Caramel Apple Pie Recipe, 3. sparkly pumpkins, 4. vintage look: 'keeping butterfly in a hand', 5. Yesterday I found 2 Kittens near home, 6. Roast Turkey, 7. Anybody want a game of Conkers???, 8. McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice Tin, 9. autumn falls in Atlantic France..., 10. {little.visitor}, 11. Is It Halloween Time??, 12. About the hands, 13. Indian corn. Please click on a link to see a larger version of a particular image and/or for photographer information.}


Autumn, you have been missed and pined for dearly, I hope that you will grace us with your presence for quite some time. Do your best to keep Old Man Winter at bay, but know that I fully understand you cannot exist forever. While you’re with us, I vow to appreciate your subtle intricacies, resplendent beauty and ingrained joys every single day!