The Sunday Natter: falling into autumn

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Since we whizzed into October I've had very little motivation and seem to be stuck in a rut. That's a common occurrence of mine but it certainly gets worse once 'summer' disappears into the distance. This country enables me little preparation for season change. Before you know it, the nights are much longer, dark nights drawn in quicker, you're unsure what wardrobe choice to make as the temperature rapidly changes throughout the day and by 7pm, you're freezing and ready for bed.

Admittedly, I do grunt and moan about the dismal days, lack of natural lighting, flying germs and bitterness in the cold but I'm a believer in turning a negative into a positive. I may dislike some parts of an approaching winter but actually, there's things I look forward to and appreciate once they've arrived. I thought discussing said terms in a more casual Sunday natter may boost my mood and allow me to transform my view of a gloomy perspective. Who knows, maybe discussing the pros may give me the push I need...

1. Autumn fashion and makeup | the colours and prints are a firm favourite of mine. All the tan, the rust, burnt orange, browns, greys and of course being able to wear as much trusty black as I want without second judgement. Then there's the unlimited amount of polo necks, and the oversized jumpers you can snuggle in and flap the sleeves around. Not to mention the fabulous choice of boots in the autumnal colours. I'm so not a summer shoe person, I much prefer stocking up on the boot selection. Beauty comes hand in hand with fashion and it's fair to say I would also pick berry red lipsticks and dark nudes over a barely there lippy - whether they suit me or not is another question to be answered.

2. The relaxing | being an indoorsy person there's nothing I crave more than cosy evenings in front of the fire topped with a hot chocolate and cheesy films. I'm an admirer of that all year round but thankfully. the popularity of this particular activity increases when moving into Autumn/Winter. Not only is it a great excuse to stick with what I love but it makes me look less boring (which I definitely am). Give me laying in bubble baths for an hour, blankets, fluffy pyjamas and spice candles any day!

3. The events and entertainment | is there anything better than weekend TV during the winter months? I think not. For some reason, all at once, everything you obsess over returns. The soap operas get juicier, the (decent) reality TV gets funnier, the dramas are more intense and when X Factor reaches judges houses you know it's near Christmas. That's another thing that builds my excitement; in terms of growing old and having no money I'm a bit of a bah humbug but if there's anything that gets me squealing it's the escalation to Christmas. When the cards, decorations, boxes of chocolates and gift sets enter the shops you know it's time to go wild! Before that, however, is Halloween and Bonfire Night - two of my favourite one night events which are strangely pointless but highly satisfying. 

4. The food and drink | if ever there's a time to get fat, it's Autumn/Winter (bonus - you can hide those added pounds underneath lots of layers). Grandma returns with the homemade baking, hot dinners are served up on a regular basis and Starbucks get their speciality drinks up and running. Sausage and mash, dumplings, roast dinners swimming in gravy and jam sponge and custard you really shouldn't be craving... my mouth's watering just at the thought of all the deliciousness. 

5. The nature | there's nothing better than a brisk Autumn walk, feeling the chill turn your cheeks rosy and seeing the beauty of how the trees turn to brown as you're surrounded by the crisp, crunchy leaves and conkers. I don't know about you, but I think everything appears so much better and more enchanting in the Autumn. Bright sunset evenings, visible full moons, the character of the atmosphere and the way it widens your senses. In particular, the smell - houses smelling of gingerbread and cinnamon, burning fire and that invisible 'cold scent' in the air. You wouldn't think it would be refreshing, but it really is! 

What do you love about Autumn and Winter? I definitely think I'm so ready for it to be in full swing now.

Bridie x