It's Autumn!!!

Ladies and gents, the last three months of 2012 are upon us. Hasn't the year flown? People always look at me (Laura) like I’m crazy when I tell them that October-December is the most wonderful time of the year. Am I nuts?? Autumn is dark, dreary, and cold, they say. Gone is any chance of getting a tan, the sun-starved Londoners around me protest.

But they are looking at it all wrong! There are so many wonderful things about autumn and winter, that make them decidedly better than the warmer two seasons.

After all, in London at least, the summer is only occasionally sunny... and then it is much too muggy to be enjoyable. I love London in the summer, of course, but that has nothing to do with the weather. Autumn signals the end of constantly being sticky, stepping out of your house to feel like you’re in an awkwardly warm fishbowl. And the tube! Morning commutes with your head stuck in sweaty man-armpits. Can you really say you miss that when the tube temperature finally drops below ‘inferno’?

That is only when it is sunny – this year, approximately 9 days out of the entire summer. When it rains, London mugginess is even worse. You can practically swim to work. Even with an umbrella, rain mac and wellies, you still get soaked – from the rain, air, and just being too damn hot.

In the autumn and winter months, the rain, though still persistent, turns from disgusting, to romantic. Evenings cuddling indoors under a blanket with hot chocolate, watching the rain fall on the window panes. Cute pea coats, boots and umbrellas. Sharing an umbrella with a loved on (unless you are with someone much shorter than you (like me), in which case this is the least romantic thing possible).

October through December are hot food months, too! You can forget about fitting into bikinis, and instead channel your inner pre-hibernating bear. Nothing beats a thick stew or warm soup when it is cold outside. Pumpkin and potatoes! Freshly baked cookies and cakes? Tis the season!

I think the winter clothes are worth another mention. The cute coats, warm fuzzy scarves, mittens, hats, sweaters, gorgeous boots!! I’ve just bought a beautiful new pair of boots, can’t wait for them to arrive. Give me all these lovely layers over skimpy clothes any day! You can always put more clothes on if you are cold, but there are only so many you can take off if you are too hot!

And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the holidays. The end of the year is filled with the very best holidays, including my birthday (which I know you all are so excited for), Halloween, Bonfire Night, Thanksgiving, Thanksmas (heck yes), and Christmas! All of that fun stuff, decorating and dressing up, rolled into three short months!

I hope you’ll join me in being REALLY excited at the arrival of October, start speaking of the cooling in temperature fondly, and fully embrace autumn!