A Seasonal Celebration of the Land, Garden & Nature

Hedgerow Fruits. Seasonal Shift. Tomatoes & Chillies. Earth. Softening. Apples & Pears. Equinox. Cobnuts. Spiderwebs. Golden hues. Wasps. Asters & Grasses

Issue 28 September 2020

It's Not Summer Anymore, 
But It's Not Really Autumn Either

"Best I love September's yellow,

Morns of dew strung gossamer,

Thoughtful days without a stir;

Rooky clamours, brazen leaves,

Stubble dotted o'er with sheaves."

Alex Smith

So here we are officially in September. Summer with its intense brightness, heat and extreme energy, has definitely yielded and there's a distinct softening into the beginning of Autumn. The weather's muggy and there's dew and sometimes mist in the cooler mornings, yet we have to shed layers as the sun heats up during the day. By the evening we want to light fires or put the heating on! 

 I'm embracing the idea of this fifth season, Late Summer which started around the third week of August and will continue through to the Autumn Equinox, this year on the 22 September. It's a short season but often marked by intense transformation out in the wild. Since we're all part of nature, this change affects us too.

 

With back to school, our anniversary and my sons' birthdays all falling in the first half of September, this is always a busy month in our house. This year feels particularly intense as the nation (World?) goes back to school and work after months of being largely home based. There's a lot of change and we're all making life plans whilst wondering how the back end of the year will pan out.

 

For me the goals of this season are:

• to be outdoors whenever possible, enjoying the warmth and using it to regenerate
• To gather the abundance of fruits growing in the garden and out in the hedgerows and make edible treats before the coolness creeps in
• To focus on the positive and the uplifting 
• To recognise that the world will always be changeable and that I'm most effective if I cultivate my own inner strength to deal with it - to be like bamboo,  bending in the wind whilst remaining firmly rooted in the ground!

I know this all sound a little bit Mr Miyagi but hey he knew a thing or two!

I hope your September kicks off well and that you enjoy the start of the seasonal shift.   I'd love to hear your favourite things associated with Late Summer and how you approach these next few weeks. 

I'll be back next week with more September highlights but in the meantime I'd love to hear what you spot and/or photograph.

If you have any questions you can reach me via my website www.plotgardendesign.co.uk follow/like PLOT Garden Design on social media to receive my seasonal updates and photos.

Keep well, breathe and remember to look outside and notice the details.