Image: Paraflyer
I live in Bristol, UK.
I have realised that September is one of my favourite if not my favourite months of the year.
Why?
English summers are not always the “best”. We seem to get odd nice days here and there amongst grey rainy days. There seems to be this expectation and “hype” that when the kids school summer holidays hit, the weather MUST be amazing and it MUST be a hot long summer. This usually leads to disappointment. Maybe there is something to the climate change, who knows. It’s also kinda crazy with the motorways jammed up with fraught people trying to make the very most of their 1 /2 / 6 week holiday. If you live in a tourist destination you are invaded by a multitude of tourists.
It seems to me that when September hits and the kids go back to school, everything calms right down. All expectations for great weather are off, there are no attachments and mother nature finally breathes again and under no pressure relaxes and offers up some of the best days of the year. The morning air caries more of a chill with brilliant sunshine that carries on transforming the day into really warm lunchtime afternoons and mild evenings.
You can almost feel the planet winding down as it slowly makes its way into autumn, rotating away from the sun. The pace is much slower and if you pay attention you can slot right into alignment and really make the most of this superb month.
This September I have enjoyed and recommend the following:
- Slow evening walks
- Lunch times basking in the still warm sun
- Slow morning walks enjoying the crisp morning air
- Bike rides along the harbourside
- Sunbathing in the park and on my roof area
- Mellow uncrowded Surf
- Seeing hot air balloons launching more than they did throughout summer because of the fine weather
- Watching people pick blackberries
- Sitting out front of a cafe enjoying a drink
Slow down and enjoy the month of slow September!
Please feel free to add your September loves in the comments below.
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September is obviously meant for all things pumpkin (except I usually start early on that fallish trend) and we love eating pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin waffles and pumpkin bread and pumpkin scones and pumpkin smoothies and did I mention we love all things pumpkin?
I also thrill taking my bike for rides September until December, as the heat abates enough to actually enjoy the ride and inhale the crisp autumn air, unlike the summer suffocation that is our extreme heat and humidity here in the southern states of the US.
I love this thought-provoking post, Emma, and am excited for September and the reminder that learning and growing myself are always available to me — and maybe I’ll buy a new box of crayons to celebrate the occasion. xo