Autumn: the most beautiful season of the year.

Proud trees turn their leaves from green to yellow, red and brown.

Up above: geese honking, flapping wings in their skein.

Fieldfare, redwings, greedily devour red berries from the rowan tree.

We go down the country lane to gather blackberries, sticky blue fingers sweet as wine.

Get out, get out, one and all – into the woods – it’s fungi foraging time!

Leaves that crackle under foot as you search for fly agaris, stinkhorn, deathcap and the prize fungi – destroying angel – don’t touch now!

Dark early nights; lock the doors, put on the lamps, light the fire,

Feet up, warm and snug, with a good book.

Who is that hammering at the door?

Open up to mini horrors, “ Trick or treat, missis?”

November’s here: search out your hats, mittens, woolly scarf and boots.

Hear and smell the fireworks: banging, crashing, screaming, lighting up the heavens with brilliant colours.

Children with excited eyes trying to write their names with sparklers.

The sweet-sour taste of toffee apples, burnt sausages, bitter on your tongue.

Eventually, Mother nature wraps herself in a blanket of fallen leaves, preparing for her winter sleep…

 

By Sue Cavanagh (Enderby library Creative Writing group)