Growing up in Sydney, Australia, I never really experienced the four distinct seasons. Autumn was still warm enough to head to the beach and swim in the ocean!

But since moving to the UK, I’ve fallen in love with the changing seasons. There’s something quite magical about watching nature transform throughout the year, especially when it comes to colour. And autumn certainly knows how to put on a colourful show!

So, here are my top five favourite things about autumn and why I love this time of year so much.

1. Getting cosy

For me autumn means slipping on a woolly jumper, putting on my hiking boots and going for walks in the woods. And there’s the sipping of hot chocolate and getting cosy in front of an open fire. I don’t have an open fire myself but I’m in the first café or old English pub that does!

2. Autumnal colour palette

I just love autumn’s glorious burst of colour! It’s one of nature’s most colourful wonders, watching the leaves change from green to rust red, burnt orange, saffron yellow and rich chocolate brown, with touches of olive green.

It’s as though nature is giving us one final colourful ‘hooray’ before settling down for her winter slumber.

3. Glow of the autumn sun

Autumn has been referred to as ‘golden hour’ season because of the soft, warm, golden quality of the sunlight. This is because the sun sits lower in the sky, casting longer shadows and bathing everything it touches with a beautiful rich, amber light. I just love the feel of the soft autumn sun on my face.

4. Autumn walks

There’s something about an autumn walk in the woods that I never tire of. The crisp, cool air, the beautiful colours of the leaves and that wonderful rustling sound underfoot.

And who can resist kicking through a pile of fallen leaves? It’s not just for the kids! It’s still one of my favourite things to do when I’m out walking.

I remember being in Boston during autumn and going to see the famous fall foliage, or ‘The Leaves’, as they call it. The colours were absolutely stunning! If only I could find my photos to show you.

5. Harvest Festivals

Autumn is a time of plenty with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables being harvested, celebrated in traditional harvest festivals that pay homage to nature’s bounty.

A couple of years back in November I went to a local farm to go pumpkin picking. Lots of people were buying the larger ones for Halloween carving. I ended up going for the little ones. I’m using them as decoration and then turning them into delicious autumn inspired meals.

I’ve since grown my own pumpkins which often spring out from the compost I dig into the vegetable patch which is always a nice surprise.

This reminds me to book it back in my calendar for this November.

Is autumn your favourite time of year? What do you love most about autumn?

If you would like to see my other colourful stories and musings then pop over to Instagram where you’ll find me at @karen_haller_colour.

You can check out my Instagram post on how autumn leaves change to the most beautiful colours.

Wishing you a colourful day!
Karenx

Extracts from The Little Book of Colour.

All images my own except for:
Banner image orange leaves against a blue sky. Photo by Karolina Bobek on Unsplash.
Glow of the autumn sun photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash.