When I was at sea with my first husband, I missed the British seasons. Tropical sunshine is all very well… It was autumn that I missed the most. The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
Autumn days when the grass is jewelled and there’s silk inside a chestnut shell.
With the nights drawing in, and the heating on, autumn is definitely here. There’s something pleasant about coming in out of the cold and getting snuggled up by the fire.
And besides, if it wasn’t for the weather what would we Brits talk about?
I always have a bit of a moment, just as the seasons change, when I feel sorrow for the end of the summer. But then it passes, and I’m looking forward to pumpkin spiced latte and Christmas shopping.
But first things first – I have my Spring Cleaning to do.
What? Doesn’t everyone do their Spring Cleaning in October??
I like to bottom the house out twice a year. In the summer I’m busy in the garden, but by October that’s over and I can turn my attention to the house. I take a room at a time, and I clean it, literally from top to bottom.
I started with the living room – washed the nets, cleaned the windows, dusted the top of the curtain rail, pulled all the furniture out, even hoovered the coals in the gas fire.
Yesterday I hit the dining room – more nets, more windows, and I emptied everything out of the dresser and the sideboard and gave the insides a dust. Decided to chuck/sell some stuff that never gets used from one year’s end to the next. I’ve made a small pile of it all, and I’ll offer it to the-husband-who-left before I do anything else with it – it seems only fair.
I find it very therapeutic. I’m not a big fan of housework in general, but I enjoy a good clear out. I’ll work my way through the house room by room – living room, dining room, kitchen, hall/stairs/landing, bedroom, office, utility, garage.
It’s a good enough way to spend a wet day – and it’s forecast to be wet here for the whole of the next week!
It culminates in attacking the attic cupboard, which gathers ‘stuff’ all through the year. I’ll pull everything out, including the Christmas decorations that are right at the back, then I’ll put everything back in again (but neater, and without the Christmas stuff) so it’s easier to put the decorations away again after.
And I’ve just now, this minute, realised that I was on my own for the whole summer! He left in February, when it was still winter. I’ve had spring and summer without him, and now it’s autumn. And it’s been OK. It’s been more than OK – it’s been absolutely fine. In fact, I’ve had a bit of a blast.
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