I’ve got that Back to School feeling. I’m not sure it ever really goes, even years after you last step foot through the school gates. That feeling of things starting afresh, a bit of excitement and a sudden urge to buy new notebooks with their blank pages waiting to filled with…well, random crap really.

Autumn is arriving. It’s been raining for most of the day, though now the sun has made an appearance and there’s still a fair bit of strength to it. Today has been spent eating sausage casserole, taking a very rare nap and generally pottering around. Summer has been pretty much non-existent this year and now we can give up hope of its arrival, I wish autumn proper would start. Cool air, crisp leaves and wrapping up in snuggly jumpers (let’s ignore the reality of cold rain and grey skies for days on end for the moment, the romantic view versus the reality is often preferable).

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I’m happier with the cooler weather, the disappearance of the wasps and I prefer cooking soups, stews and pies to salads. I’m not particularly happy with the sudden influx of spiders and know the visits from Daddy Longlegs aren’t far away (yes, I squeal like a girl and demand that Rich comes to ‘save’ me) but I know they serve their purpose so tolerate them to a degree. Though do Daddy Longlegs actually have a purpose? I’m not sure. 

Things are changing here, in small, subtle ways but they are there. We’ve made good progress on the decorating, with the majority of the painting done and just a few bits and bobs to buy to tie things together. The only room we really need to tackle (bar the spare room which is extremely low on the list of priorities) is our bedroom. We’re stuck at the moment, wanting to create something really lovely but have the challenge of working with an inherited red carpet. It’s not pretty, goes with very little but we can’t justify the cost of replacing it. Nor do we want to spend a great deal of money on a rented house. Time will tell and we’ll settle on something sooner or later, I’m sure.

I feel like I’m in nesting mode, getting the house ready for us to hibernate in for the next few months. The evenings are drawing in and I’ve started dreaming of throws on the sofa, evenings spent watching a film or reading in front of a roaring fire. Not that we have a fire, roaring or otherwise, but you get my point. Thoughts of Christmas keep popping into my head (premature I know but I don’t care) and I find myself stroking flannelette sheets and pyjamas for Miss P, remembering how cold this house was last year.

So bye bye summer that never was. Maybe we’ll see you next year but now I’m ready for the change.