Colorful Fall

Everything is slightly upside down in Down Under. And so are the seasons. It’s here. Fall. My favorite season. I can’t help myself. I love fall although it means that winter is just around the corner. For all my life I have always felt connected to nature the most during fall. Maybe because everything I loved doing was so much easier in fall.

As I’ve mentioned before, I used to own a horse. Now growing up in a Swiss mountain village and owning a horse is a pretty great thing. But there are some limitation to the fun. While riding out in winter is limited to the roads mostly due to all the cross country tracks and snowed in paths the limits in summer are due to the farmers. And in spring… well in spring everything is wet and muddy…

But in fall it was different. It is colorful and the weather is so great most of the time… Everything was ‘open’. The fields were open as the last cut of hay was done and the cows had eaten the last fresh grass from their pastures. The floor was harder because it got really cold over night and so you could just take your horse wherever you wanted to. Almost. I guess the only tricky part were the hunters during this time of the year…

The air was chilly in the morning when I got my horse ready for riding out. It was the time when you had to start wearing warmer jackets and maybe even gloves. But then when the sun was higher it actually got really warm. I loved the time when we left early and caught up with friends or family somewhere in one of the valleys for a picnic. By the time we arrived there it was nice and warm and the warm jacket and the gloves were no longer needed. We usually spent a while there just chilling in the sun, enjoying a sandwich or even a sausage made on a campfire.

You knew it was time to head home when the sun slowly reached a certain point. From then forward it would get chilly again, as it would quickly disappear behind the mountains. After having enjoyed the sun in a t-shirt it was time to saddle up again and head home. And when we arrived at home we were sure happy to have a warm jacket and gloves with us again.

Now, in Australia, it doesn’t get as chilly. The temperature is lower and you definitely feel it. It get’s really chilly actually. It’s still colorful, but maybe not as colorful as it was and still is in Switzerland.  I think what’s still the same is how the light changes. How everything seems so much calmer in fall then it does the rest of the year.

Maybe it’s because nature is getting ready for a winter snooze… Maybe it’s because it get’s dark early. I just find it a very peaceful season. So even without a horse in my life now, I love spending time outside in fall. Today I won’t be able to do much outside but I am sure looking forward to heading out in the next couple of days.

What is your favorite season of the year and why?