As the summer comes to an end, what excites you about autumn?

[mugcup]

I am weird but I love this time of year. Things I look forward to are..
• chunky knits
• nice boots
• that feeling when your freezing and you walk into a warm building
• buying nice candles
• settling down with the kids on a sat night to watch a movie with treats ( normally they play out till Bath/bed time in summer)

I'm sure there's more.

What's yours ?

@SirChenjins @RampantIvy @Delatron There’s so much judgement on the thread! I don’t enjoy summer but don’t harbour any judgment for those that do.

‘Maybe you enjoy festering’
‘I assume you don’t go far from your house’
‘How many people who like celebrations have children’

😂 I don’t get why it’s hard to understand that people prefer the cold. I prefer walking around when it’s dark compared to when it’s over 23 degrees.

I also have no kids and love Halloween and bonfire night. We watch horror films, go to maize maizes, go on local walks, attend a bonfire, carve pumpkins.

Christmas is obviously great without kids, presents, nice food, time off work, wine. You don’t need kids to enjoy that.

I think it is about finding pleasure in all the small things

Absolutely - but autumn and winter have such few small things to find pleasure in compared to spring and summer. I find it difficult to look past all the crap that goes along with endless darkness and miserable weather and say 'ahhh, but at least I can lie under a blanket for hours, drinking a sugary drink' - because they're not exactly the highlights of my year.

@Mushroo if you've chosen to take my comment as judgmental that's on you I'm afraid. Commuting for miles in the pitch dark along rural roads after scraping ice from your windscreen at stupid o'clock and then hoping to god the gritters have been out is not fun - I can only presume that people who enjoy winter aren't doing this too often.

@SirChenjins that’s fair. I’m a city dweller through and through who rarely drives so probably have different experiences.

I get that going for a nice country drive at the weekend is different to scraping ice at 6am :)

Exactly. Ferrying children around to activities and either standing in the cold and dark watching them or sitting in the bloody car. Much easier in the warmth and sun. I hate driving in the dark.

And all this talk of coming home to a lovely warm house…what about your heating bills if you are pre-heating your house to that level?

I am allowed to have an opinion on people who prefer to lie under a blanket on the sofa for 6+ months than be out and about and active on summer evenings. You can do so much more when it’s light in the evening and not freezing.

I hate the sun and like the cooler days but folk on here cant accept we are all different, they need to pity folk who dont feel the same as them, its the same every bloody season

Yes, winter in the city (are you in the south of the UK by any chance?) is very different to living somewhere where there isn’t public transport to get you to and from work in mid winter. I’m very lucky I now have the option to wfh in bad weather but that doesn’t help if the snow comes down while you’re at work and it’s a long drive home when it’s dark before 4pm.

@SirChenjins I’m in the NW so that probably influences my indifference to summer, it’s warm and damp.

The winter is usually pretty mild and there’s loads of good events on!

South to me This summer has been pretty rubbish so for those who us who really struggle with the short days and rubbish weather it feels like we’ve been cheated a bit. I could cope with autumn if I knew it would be a short, mild winter - a few weeks at most. Instead it’s 5 or 6 months of grimness.

I think the issue is that each season is different depending on where you live. I'm on the edge of the Pennines. Autumn is damp and gloomy, winter is damp, gloomy and cold, this year we had no spring, and summer was a damp squib.

I don't enjoy being outside in sideways rain, which is why autumn and winter give me cabin fever. Having to allow an extra ten minutes when I go out to get kitted up in coat, hat, loves, scarf and boots before I leave the house is a hassle when in a good summer I just need to slip on a pair of sandals and I'm ready to go

If autumn and winter were bright and crisp I would enjoy them, but like @SirChenjins, scraping ice off the car in the dark, driving to and from work in the dark (and usually rain) on country roads then a busy motorway is just nothing to get joy from.

I think I get different autumn and winter weather from the autumn and winter lovers.

I love when it's cold first thing it the morning but brilliantly bright and you can see all the steam from the heating systems in houses and you're wrapped up all warm and happy. It's beautiful.

I don’t think you do get different weather. Autumn and winter lovers just look at it with rose tinted glasses. We don’t get that weather consistently here. We get murky damp weather, I live by the Thames and it often floods. So lots of rain. Not much fun. Especially when we had such a rubbish summer.

I’d actually prefer it if we had proper seasons. They all just seem to
merge in to one. At least a bit of snow would be exciting. We don’t get that very much.

To me, summer is the hot guy who offers to pick you up in a Ferrari, whisk you out for dinner and wine and dine you, but is consistently flakey and let’s you down.

Autumn is Mr Dependable who’s always there for you, gives great hugs and never lets you down. A long term great love.

I’m team @SirChenjins on this one.

I try to put some positive spin for myself on the end of summer. I enjoy a dry autumn day or a sunny frosty morning but they’re rare.

However, the Autumn/ winter lovers main enjoyment of those seasons seems to mainly involve buying lots of clothes (I can’t afford this) and winter boots -hiding under lots of clothes, hiding indoors, hiding under blankets and eating and heating your home until it’s warm and cosy (I struggle to afford this too!)

Hot chocolate is far too overrated. It takes approx 30 seconds for me to drink a mug of it 😂

It’s not so much the shopping for me it’s more being able to wear styles I prefer. I live for knitwear.

I pack away clothes every 6 months so when I open up my vacuum packed storage bags it’s like free shopping!

Agree on hot chocolate!

I live for knitwear that made me laugh 🤣
I must admit wearing my favourite jumpers is something to look forward to, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m excited about it.

Im far more excited about throwing off clothes and walking about with bare feet. I love the heat.

I wish I was the same! I like the idea of a beach holiday but survive seconds in the sun.

Cooler weather! Ok,I know there is going to be someone who comes along saying 'But we've had a rubbish summer'. But in my opinion,June was pretty warm (in the mid 20s most days in the area I live). July was not too bad but the last 2 weeks have been awful for me. It's been mid to upper 20s every day and I'm suffering! I'm so intolerant of heat. Anything above 24 degrees is too much for me. At least once we hit mid September,I can be fairly sure that the temperature won't go above that!

This made me smile! I love this too.

I mean, I like my knitwear (god knows, I’ve spent enough on the stuff to ensure I’m warm) but the idea of living for it made my smile! Give me a light, loose cotton top any day - I love that feeling of being comfy in my clothing with the sun warming my bones, nothing better 😊 🌞

Your summer and my summer have been completely different. We had two weeks of lively weather in June - just half of June, not all of it, the wettest July since 1973 and nothing like the temperatures you describe in August.

Where has it been mid to upper 20s in the UK in August?

RampantIvy In West London,not far from Heathrow! Over the last 10 days,it's been around 25 - 27 degrees every day.

We did manage 23 degrees on Saturday but it has been 18 - 20 degrees here. Friday was awful - damp grey and miserable. I would love 25 - 27 degrees.

I'm excited about the thunder storm I can hear about 10km away. It has been just under 40°c here all week in the south of France and it's done me in. Due to drop to mid 20s today and I cannot wait.

I'm so fed up of the flies and wasps coming in the house that that is definitely something to look forward to seeing less of (ignoring daddy long leg season!)

I definitely feel more active when it's cooler and want to go outside to exercise and not risk sunburn and overheating.

Autumn clothes are more interesting (layers/ knits/ coatigans/ tights and boots)

Darker/ longer evenings do make me feel more relaxed and less like I should be outdoors seeing to the garden/ having company etc