Happy October! With shorter days, cold nights and lots of rain, autumn is definitely here now! I’ve been blogging for almost 8 years now and surprisingly, I’ve never taken part in Blogtober. For those who don’t know what it is, it’s a popular challenge amongst bloggers to publish a new post every day of October. The content is often, but not necessarily, very autumnal to reflect the new season. I’ll be using prompts from the lovely Jenny at midwifeandlife.com and posting as many days as I can! Today’s prompt is “October’s Quiet Moments”.
October’s Loud Moments
To really put the quiet moments into perspective, I think it’s important to consider the loud moments first. What do you think of when you think of October? For us, there are family birthdays around the beginning of October. Before we know it, the first half term holiday is here and we immerse ourselves in all things Halloween. I love Halloween and try to put our decorations up on the first day of October. I’ve already got a Halloween doormat and runner down in the hallway this year, but the rest of the decorations are yet to come down from the loft. Other than that, the other loud moment I can think of is the gorgeous leaves. They shout “Look at me!” with their varying shades…bronze, ochre, burnt orange, scarlet, claret, vermillion and gold. Even in urban jungles where trees may be scarce, when you do see them you can’t miss them juxtaposed against the grey concrete.
The Quiet Moments
So now we come to the things that may be less strikingly obvious about October. That feeling of snuggling under a blanket and feeling cosy with a hot chocolate; something I’m craving as my cold fingers tap away on my laptop. However, perhaps that’s still quiet an obvious one.
How about all the beautiful things to be foraged or simply observed in the woods in October, then? I adore the bluebells and crocuses in spring when the earth is awakening, but I’m not sure if I possibly enjoy it going into slumber just a little more. I love the fresh air in the woods and the damp earthy smell as dusk looms. When my anxieties still but the trees whisper and animals hurry in the undergrowth away from human eyes, occasionally snapping twigs, as they begin to prepare for winter.
We went for a walk at the weekend and saw all kinds of beautiful things that are far quieter than the leaves…you often have to really look for them rather than them shouting that they’re there. We spotted mushrooms, acorns, bright red rosehips, cute little bilberries and tightly bundled rowanberries (I’d have taken photos if I’d known I was going to be writing about them!) Foraging the last of the year’s blackberries was also somewhat a success! I had hoped to make jam again this year. However, no such luck thanks to my rib injury preventing me from getting out there when the blackberries were in their prime. Still, we have enough to nibble on and the kids had fun. The jam will have to wait another year!
