Willow in Winter

I’m an autumn person. I love the cold wind and the changing of the leaves. I live for those grey rainy days and Halloween decorations. So I mostly ignore the other seasons, patiently waiting for the end of September when you can start to put pumpkins on your windowsill without looking weird.

But I want to experience all of the seasons this year. I want to find things I like about them, and the best way to discover a season is to be surrounded by nature and explore the seasonal changes.

I visited the woods on the outskirts of where I live, paying close attention to the flowers and green leaves that I usually ignore on my hikes.

I learned about the existence of wild garlic when I encountered an area full of this white flower where the garlic smell was so powerful. I always say my favourite smell is of wet leaves after it has rained, but the strong flowery aromas combined with the usual wooden scent were also surprisingly good.

Even as I tried to be a spring person, after a while, I was more impressed by the trees than the flowers, imagining what they’ll look like in my favourite season. I can’t wait to come back when all the leaves are changing, and you can spot different types of fungi.

I ended my spring immersion with a nice walk around town. It was nice to see my neighbourhood so full of colour. It was also warm enough to wear a mini skirt. This is the first time my legs have seen the sun since last year.

I’m still an autumn person, but I’m enjoying the sunny days so far. I don’t like being woken up at 5 am when the sun comes out, though. I also enjoy being able to wear some of my spring clothes, although I’ll always prefer a cosy scarf over a flowery dress.

Just thinking about autumn has me wishing for hot chocolate, beautiful pumpkins and witchy decorations. I can’t wait! I just need to get through the English summer first.