5 Things Tuesday — 5 Things You Love About Autumn

Here are my 5 Autumn Faves :

Dry leaves

It is mesmerizing to watch dry leaves falling to earth one by one. Once they make a thick carpet on the ground, it is such fun when they crunch and crackle underfoot. Bonfires made from these leaves give the autumn breeze it’s particular smoky fragrance.

Autumn hues

Burgundy, plum, auburn, cinnamon, mustard, pumpkin, russet, rust, spinach green, olive green. These are just colours but somehow they seem to have a depth and richness to them. Rust, especially, has a warmth and cheerfulness about it that red or orange can never achieve. Amazing isn’t it that subtle differences in shade can mean so much.

Comfort Food

Bingeing on apple pie, walnut pie, carrot cake, rich plum cake, scones and cream and jam. Any of these paired with a good cup of tea or coffee is my idea of luxury.

Autumn marks the end of the harvest season so that you have an abundant supply of fruit on hand. What you can’t eat, you can turn into jams, preserves and chutneys. You can then be sure of something nice to go with your scones (now you see what I am driving at?)

Winter Reading List

Autumn is a good time for stocking up on books to read cuddled up in bed or near the fire on long winter evenings. Although I am trying to make the best of the mild weather these days and reading on the veranda or in the garden, this is a good time for pre-winter shopping. This also means stocking up on my reading material. A friend has recommended thrillers by Harlan Coben: I intend binge reading all the titles I can find. This is a good time to go through old favourites too. Some books improve vastly on re-reading; the first time around you are focused on the story while reading again you can appreciate the language, descriptions and dialogue etc.I think this is true of all classical literature, but F.Scott Fitzgerald and E.M. Forster come to mind.

What are your favourite authors? Which ones would you like to re-read? Which new ones would you like to sample?

Long walks

Autumn weather is just perfect for lazybones like me who cite extreme heat or cold as reasons for staying indoors. A long trudge with a friend provides a good excuse for a gossip session.If you prefer your own company, however, you need not get bored : a pair of headphones can relieve the tedium. You can listen to audiobooks, podcasts, TED talks etc.

Where do you like to walk? Do you walk alone or with friends and family? Do you like to listen to any music or books or lectures as you go along?

These 5 Autumn Favourites are part of a longer list that I wrote many moons ago. You can click here to read the rest.

What are the 5 things that you love about autumn. I would love to know.

You can tell me in my comments section. Better still, why not write a post of your own? Just remember to tag it #5things