Roads to Joy

Finally, as the end of September clambers into reach, it feels like autumn here high up in these North Pennines. The sun still shines with warmth, and the sky is still blue, even though the winds have started up again after the prolonged respite during the hot summer. It’s the beginning of the end for this year’s photosynthesis as green plants move into hibernation mode. Soon we too shall be hibernating in what we hope will be a warm and cosy life.

We’re so lucky to have that warmth to look forward to; we showed several lots of enquirers after our beloved cottage around yesterday, the Jotul fire creating a delightful ambience in the big living room. Our downsizing adventure will be much more constrained, but still warm. Depending on circumstances, however, we may need to get a double load of hardwood in for the festive season here on the fellside. It’s all preparation for the onset of winter. Autumn can be so kind, tempering our expectations and even surprising us with joyful interludes.

And so colour brightens up the gloom we might otherwise feel as the wind brings a chill. We might feel a little melancholic about the change, but on the whole, with these flashes of loveliness that herald the seasonal shift, we can be equanimous, regardless of the prevailing winds of economic gloom.

At least, that’s what we’ll tell ourselves as we rest up for the next onslaught of visitors looking through our beloved place, our home that we’ve resurrected from dereliction over the past thirty years.

With the heavy breeze on our backs, we’ll go forward, clocking the lovely colours on the way.