Hello, and thanks for reading my newsletter on the seasons - with a bit of art and life mixed in.
The last time I checked in, we were at the beginning of autumn and now we’ve reached the equinox - my most favourite time of year. I am trying to cherish every moment of it, from the chilly morning air, the turning trees on my commute, the berry-laden shrubs and hedges of my local park, the fallen debris of acorns and conkers on park paths, the resurgence of robins’ song, the squashes in my grocery cart...
I recently heard this poem, which has stuck with me: September does seem a time of “gentle endings”. It is well and truly the end of summer, but I can think of no better cushion for the darker days that the brightness of autumn. I think this brightness is so well captured in the leaf portraits we recently saw at an Andy Goldsworthy exhibition. By simply collecting and pasting yellow leaves to different natural landmarks, he made it look almost like a vein of gold.
Here are some seasonal notes I’ve made lately:
Cool air blows in
I’ve needed to add an extra layer to brace these colder mornings or, in the case of this weekend, the whole day! It is also the time that scarfs come out of their box and I think about my need to de-bauble sweaters! Of course, sunshine is such a wonderful companion at this time of the year, making the cooler temperatures feel a bit more bearable.
Darker Days
Perhaps the thing that hits us hardest, at this time of year, is the slowly encroaching evenings. In fact, it is this that determines our equinox - an astronomical term that refers to the moment when the sun is positioned directly above the equator and means that our days and evenings are relatively equal.
I find that the loss of daylight begins to take a toll from here on out, when we wake to darker mornings and see our evening plans increasingly happening in darkness, too.
Robin’s Autumnal Song
It happens every year, around this time: I start to hear a familiar sound - one foggy enough that I need Merlin to remind me it’s my old friend, the robin. It’s extra exciting this time around, as our garden robin (alongside sparrows, coal tits, and blue tits) have all tried out the garden feeder since last writing.
Berries and the resilient Ivy Flowers
It seems like every newsletter I mention one berry or another - but this is a good time for hawthorns, rose hips, and holly. It’s not quite the end of the flowers, though, so do catch the ivy in bloom, attracting all the bees.
Leaves changing
“These variations are a subtle reminder of the slow progress of the seasons, how the changes might slip past you unnoticed until one day you look up and the green tree has turned into a yellow one” (Lev Parikian)
Fallen Goodies: Acorns, Leaves, and Conkers
Home Updates
We are very nearly settled in to our new home, with most projects now completed! See some highlights below:
Art notes
This month, I’ve been experimenting a bit with taking my pencil drawings and adapting them in Procreate. This is much inspired by the lovely and whimsical drawings of Raahat Kaduji, who I’ve been following on Patreon. I thought I’d share some pictures of my process making a recent sketch session into a Procreate piece.
Lastly, here is a view from a recent morning walk in my new local park. Not a bad sight!
