Autumn colours in the countryside

When even autumn cannot coax inspiration out of me I know that my creativity really is hiding far out of reach. But unfortunately that is the situation right now. So instead of words I give you some pictures of the colourful landscapes in my neighbourhood and let them speak for themselves.

Two poems about autumn

When I was writing yesterday’s post it reminded me of two poems I wrote in November four years ago. They illustrate how differently one can feel about autumn. Unlike summer which is generally associated with positive things people naturally feel slightly more ambivalent about the season known for death, cold and rain. When I wrote the first poem I was obviously affected by the darker side of autumn:

A candle shines best in the dark

Disclaimer for people with a tendency to think too deeply: The title of this post is not a metaphor for anything. You are not about to read a post about how goodness is the strongest in the face of evil or some such thing. The title refers simply to candles and how nice they look in the dark. That is all.

Autumn

I have not spent an autumn in Finland for 16 years, but in my memories Finnish autumn is full of colour. Maples blazing and birches dripping gold. The Finnish word for this phenomenon is ruska. Belgian autumns never seem as brightly coloured, and since it is mainly a northern phenomenon it makes sense. But it might also be a case of my memories colouring my childhood brighter than it really was. 

A pointless little post (only read this if you really have nothing better to do)

I am sitting here, in front of my computer, eating mandarins while listening to some mellow jazz and trying to think of something to write. I do not feel like torturing my readers with more nightmares about my upcoming dentists visit, but the only other thing occupying my mind is the forbidden subject of Christmas, and I have promised myself to wait as long as possible before I start bombarding my readers with Christmas related posts.

Some thoughts as winter approaches

Clocks were turned back last night, announcing the entry into Wintertime. Meanwhile the cold returned after a short spell of Indian summer. I do not miss this brief interlude of warmth. I am a child of the North and my genes are coded for cold. As the world outside melts into an even earlier darkness and a chill fills the air, my world shrinks into a room filled with light. Somewhere inside me a piece of my soul mirrors the darkness behind the window. That is the Northern centre of my being, which longs for the silent purity of ice and the emptiness of frozen air. I light candles and drink hot tea and no longer have to bother with the busy reality on the other side of the blinds.

Walking to work on an Autumn morning

We were blessed with some unusually warm and sunny days during the past week and I decided to walk to work, a habit I had given up on lately, in order to save myself 10 minutes of walking and 5 minutes of total travelling time by taking the metro for two stops from Schuman.

5 books to read on a dark Autumn evening

October has arrived and with it the promise of winter. We wake up in darkness, disbelieving that this gloomy moment is really the beginning of day. Gentle clouds of steam disperse into the air with every breath, as we make our way to work. Upon our return home in the evening we light some lamps and candles, and settle down in the comfort of our home. Autumn is the perfect time to curl up with a good book and forget all about the world outside. But there are some books that are particularly suited for this time of year. An autumn book should be dark but not depressing. The last thing one needs this time of year is a book about slavery or genocide. But a light cheerful holiday read is not quite the thing either. Here are my suggestions for what to read during the next few months:

My very first blog post

As autumn progresses and the days get colder and shorter I always get the urge to stay at home and cocoon with a warm cup of tea and a good book. This autumn I thought I would try to get something useful done during this period, and decided to create a blog. Being an aspiring writer haunted by the everpresent shadow of writer’s block, this seemed like the perfect way of getting back into writing without plunging straight into one of those daunting novels I have been planning for several years.

I will not set too strict a limit on the number of posts I write (unlike Tanya Sa whose brilliant blog/challenge 365 Attempts (at life) inspired me) but I will commit to writing once a week. I might give myself some points if I manage to write more.

Wish me luck!