Summer has just finished. Just felt it go as the weather front slips in from the West. Who else is in tune with the weather?

[Zeal]

I knew it was coming today. I have been following the weather patterns for years, but it still took me by surprise. I saw the banks of thin white clouds just as the weather radar had told us.

Today is the last day of 20+ degree temperature in the U.K. for six months. It won’t come back now. It is going to drop a good 9 degrees starting overnight. The seasonal storms in Africa that spiral out across the mid-Atlantic are stronger, more frequent, so that by the time those hurricanes come round the east coast of Canada and under Iceland they will gather moisture and dump colder, wetter weather on the U.K. from now.

It has not been a particularly good summer. A long, cool, dry Spring. It gets darker now, earlier. I don’t mind the seasons. It’s just that this Summer has been poor weather for many things here.

Thank you so much for the link to Windy Zeal. Love it

@Mysa74

I have horses, I'm far too aware of the quarter days... I love February to may, June but hate August as that's when I really notice everything start to change. October or October type weather (grey, dark and damp) is the pits.

Oh yes, us too. I used to love winter coming on - I love cosy dark evenings - but since we moved our horses to DIY grazing (to save money!) DD and I dread the onset of winter... a pleasant hour of poo-picking at 8pm in the mild, sunny evenings has been a thing of the past for a couple of weeks... soon it will be mud, and icy winds to battle against as we walk the many yards between field tap and water pails, carrying a heavy bucket in each hand, head down against the freezing, sleety air.

Don't have horses in the winter, it's awful!

I love this thread. I loved the opening post. I love autumn. I love the feel of the change of the seasons too.

Years ago, in Scotland, I spent almost an entire summer barefoot, and one day, very suddenly, the ground was too cold for my feet. I noticed that before any other perceptible changes.

Happy birthday @Knittingnanny!

Yes. It was summer yesterday but today is autumn. There’s no promise of warmth in the air any more. I knew it was near though, the geese are starting to fly over.

Hate it hate it hate it. A pathetic short summer and now comes endless rain and months of soulless grey skies. Watching my flowers die and my fruit trees drop their leaves ugh it just feels miserable.

I love autumn too. Cosy dark evenings in front of the fire with a good book, listening to classic fm or
watching a thriller. And walks in our local forest, with the sun starting to set and the light becoming golden, shadows lengthening.
We went to Jervaulx abbey near Ripon yesterday and it was just idyllic, so peaceful but definitely felt like the seasons were changing. Throwing down with rain first thing this morning and very windy, probably sounded worse than it really was in our caravan. Funnily enough it stopped at around 10:30 and I managed to get a lovely walk in with the dog round Pateley bridge. Warm enough to take off my coat at times.
Sadly our site shuts middle of November so won't get to see the place in the winter months. Can imagine it's beautiful in an austere kind of way but bitterly freezing !

@Knittingnanny

I know exactly what you mean! Strangely enough I can only tell when we move into Autumn not the other seasons. I can step out of my door about 7 pm and smell it. Always around my birthday ( today!) It is my favourite season, the colours, the smell, going out in long sleeved clothes but no need for a big coat, walks, no need to be seeking shade, no more painting toe nails! I’d hate to live in a country where the seasons are similar. I’m a very “ seasonal” person. Possibly stems from being in cyclical activities from the age of 5-60 as a pupil and an infant teacher! Harvest, Christmas, signs of Spring, Easter, Maypole dancing, outside PE, and repeat!

This is one of my favourite things about teaching nursery and infants. I love being so influenced by the seasons. I'm not in the UK at the moment and I'm missing that freshness of the autumn mornings, the smell of damp leaves, woodland walks and mist. I'm not missing drizzle everyday and having to scrape the car at 6am though.

@Somethingsnappy thank you! I always picked blackberries as a child between my dads birthday 19 th and mine 26 th. Still pick them to remember him but earlier these days, if I left it til same week as in the 50’s and 60’s they would all have gone!
@RainbowCrayons, yes I would at the Plano playing “ cauliflowers fluffy” “ all the leaves are falling down” and then outside collecting stuff to make Harvest crowns with. Followed by “ Tattybogle” for storytime. I miss that part of my job so much but now I’m sitting in a car at the beach with a cup of tea reading the paper instead of being at the Monday staff meeting!
Autumn here at the south coast beach, I’ve sung the Autumn leaves song to my husband, who grew up in the Far East and is still mesmerised by the changing seasons.

And walks in our local forest, with the sun starting to set and the light becoming golden, shadows lengthening.

Sadly, walks like this are as rare as hen's teeth where I live. The reality of autumn is more often like this image than a crisp, sunny day.

Well yesterday wasn't too bad in the end but today has been awful. It's pissed it down all bloody day here!

@SirenSays

Hate it hate it hate it. A pathetic short summer and now comes endless rain and months of soulless grey skies. Watching my flowers die and my fruit trees drop their leaves ugh it just feels miserable.

Same here, I can feel my mood dropping by the day. Roll on next spring!

I feel terrible today. I directly relate it to the change in season. Bleurgh

I love reading your posts too, I also love listening to the weather forecast on the radio. Thanks for this lovely thread, it made me so happy.

I feel the changes too, have horses so outside a lot. I suspect it's going to be a miserable winter as well, have had to book ponies in to be clipped already, I can usually get to the end of October but despite the mild weather, my highland pony have already chucked up impressive winter woolies.

Have been saying to dh for the last 2 weeks it feels very back endy. And stashed allmy summer clothes and dug out the warmer stuff over the weekend.

Yes the sad sick kind of feeling I only get in winter hit me today and the wind had that wintery kind of feeling to it

We've had sunshine and warmth between the downpours here, I love this time of year when you get all seasons in a day.

I stepped outside earlier and said to DH it smelled of autumn now. It's a very distinct smell to me, with an edge of cold. He just smiled and nodded but I know!

My perception of change starts earlier than this...more a promise of what will be
Im 57 now but felt this way since I was a child and only with Autumn. I can be outside and then I feel a change. Its really hard to describe but its like a thin, batsqueak of something...whether I can sense it, or the light is slightly different, or the wind smell changes but it is a real thing for me. DH says I'm a daft bugger but he's got the soul of a concrete mixer

The robin's song has changed as well which heralds autumn and winter and makes me feel slightly melancholy for a time

Yes, it was such a noticeable change on Sunday - we had mist in the morning and then a warm day but it was only warm in the direct sunshine.

I loved those last few sunny days last week - such a bonus to sit outside reading in my shorts after work and I’ve made the most of every scrap of natural vitamin D possible! But even then I knew what was coming so was gradually cleaning off the garden furniture, emptying pots and generally tidying up.

I don’t mind autumn but it’s going to be a long six months till spring I think; I’ll try and get outside as much as possible but I hate the dark afternoons in mid-winter. I’ve bought new boots and tights to console myself…

Can the OP please write monthly as a minimum on the changing seasons - what's happening to the Earth in relation to the sun; the star scale changing; what's happening to plants and animals; the winds; the seas; the light ... everything please. I 100% agree her writing is wonderful, calming, hopeful, earthy, something that speaks straight to being alive.

For me the worst is mid-November to mid-December. There is nothing that is not grey, dark and damp.

Where on Earth do you live? A Dickens' novel?

It is often crisp, sunny & bright in November & December?

@speakupattheback

Can the OP please write monthly as a minimum on the changing seasons - what's happening to the Earth in relation to the sun; the star scale changing; what's happening to plants and animals; the winds; the seas; the light ... everything please. I 100% agree her writing is wonderful, calming, hopeful, earthy, something that speaks straight to being alive.

Hear hear! Yes please.

I felt it last night.I brought my pony in from the field the light was weaker and as I walked through the trees I could smell autumn. There was a crunch that wasn't there before.