Autumn is the slow decline of the year toward the winter, a slow lingering death from the height of summer into the cold and dark. Yet autumn is far from miserable. I love the unexpected warm days. I love the colours of the season and the wind and rain feels quite energetic and powerful. It has always felt like a season of portents and omens, birds are flocking, deer are rutting, autumnal colour is everywhere.
So how do we write what autumn feels like?
Atmosphere
Autumn is nothing if not atmospheric. Countless horror movies are set at this time of year, no better demonstrated than it the cold and imposing forests of The Blair Witch Project and The Village. These are films that use Autumn atmosphere to maximum effect. It is the perfect time of year because death is a constant reminder. It is getting colder and darker; leaves are falling from the trees. There is a chill in the air overnight, frost on the ground in the morning, mist and fog in the air. Dry, dead leaves crunch beneath your feet and clouds appear when you breathe out. There is still a lingering warmth but always a constant reminder of the cold to come.
It is also the season of Halloween and in the Commonwealth, Bonfire Night. Those five days between the end of October and the beginning of November is, for me, the beginning of the build up to the Christmas season. People actually begin to enjoy the colder weather and the darker evenings as it reminds of the what is to come.
Autumn: Life and death
Smells
Autumn smells of frost. Yes, I do think frost has a smell and I do not find it unpleasant. It is a dry, sharp, prickly smell that you can experience first thing in the morning, within the first hour of sunrise. It is also the smell of fruit waiting to be picked or that which turned rotten before falling off the trees/bushes/shrubs.
Autumn smells of woodfire, bonfires and the gunpowder of firework displays.
Sights
copyright: MG Mason
Despite the slow descent towards a seeming death, there is still much life in the old year yet. Before they all drop off of the trees, leaves turn dazzling colours of ambers, reds and yellows creating images like this.
The English countryside is famous for this sort of scene throughout the autumn. It is also the season of fruitpicking: apples, pears and to any child… blackberries! These are not just colourful but a reminder of the pinnacle of the livelihood of the season at the end of the year.
Also think about the sort of clothing that people might wear at this time of year. Scarves, woolies, larger coats, sweaters. For men, jackets more often than not. For women, the fashion seems to be in boots a lot more, cardigans. People are wrapping up warm but not wrapped up so tightly just yet.
And don’t forget the flocking birds.
Sounds
Autumn is noticeable for the absence of birdsong mostly and with leaves dropping off, you won’t hear wind rustling through the trees for very long.
What are the autumn sounds? Whistling wind, roaring wind, heavier rain. For those of us living in the countryside it is a season of shrieking foxes, of the calling of deer for the rutting season. Small mammals such as badgers and squirrels scramble through the undergrowth during the darker evenings and overnight.
Tastes
Give a serious think to the sort of foods that will be available at this time of year and how personal preferences might change.
Aside from autumn fruits, it is associated with heavier or more filling foods. I tend to drink more coffee in the autumn and winter and more tea in the spring and summer. My beer tastes also change. I prefer something a bit more full-bodied at this time of year, ruby ales, Newcastle Brown, darker and heavier beers as opposed to spring and summer where I prefer golden ales and sometimes lager. I also tend to drink more red wine at this time of year and prefer them full-bodied. It is also the season of mulled wine – though I don’t tend to want to drink this until Christmas lights start making an appearance.
Touch
Most mornings, everything outside is damp with dew. Goosebumps raise on bare arms. Feet crunch on and swish through piles of dead leaves. On the really cold days, feet crunch on frozen earth. Also, on those warm days think about how the sun feels on your skin. It is a very different feeling to that in spring or summer.
So over to you, what signifies the autumn for you? How do you identify the arrival of this season?
I think you did a pretty good job of describing autumn. It’s my favourite season. The terror of summer has ended and the whole hemisphere breathes a sigh of relief, relaxing into crunchy reds and browns. The air is cool and the food is good.
Here in Japan it normally begins when a typhoon comes and sweeps away the heat and humidity and then we’re left with cool air and I can breathe again. But autumn only lasts a couple of weeks here and then it’s winter again. I’ve decided to write more about my life in Japan in my blog to get it going again. More importantly, how living abroad affects my writing. That will be my main topic, but like you I think I’ll write about some other topics now and again. In fact, I might join you on reviewing ‘Doctor Who’. We can compare opinions.
Excellent, I look forward to reading all about it. A lot of people are fascinated with Japan; me not so much but I’m willing to be educated about it.
Get blogging!
Thanks. It’s been hard to find a consistent topic, so I hope I can stick with it! I’ll have a new post this weekend, and I’ll put up some links soon – your site included.
As the days get shorter, my walks in the morning now coincide with dawn instread of after or before. And dawn, or just before dawn, is when our local skunk goes out to make her daily round. So, for me, where I live now, fall is a cool, foggy morning drenched with the musky odor of skunk.
I don’t know what skunk smells like. I imagine I’d rather not find out!
Think: vomit-inducing musky tear-gas.
Eugh, lovely
You were reading my mind with this post 🙂 There’s so much about autumn to love, and you’ve described it perfectly. Good read.
Thank you!
Good insight into a season we barely have in this part oc the world. ..South India
Turn on the slow cooker.. Throw in some mutton (goat meat) with some caramel iced onions, curry powder and tomatoes n coriander powder.3 cloves of garlic..2 cups of water.. Cook on low setting for 5 hours.. Delicious stew to warm the chilly evenings.. My fond fall memory….
Sounds amazing!