‘Oh to be in England now that autumn’s there…’ Home-Thoughts, From, well, home…

As summer firmly turns to autumn, the days shorten, the winds blow with a little more bite and the mornings feel chilly, we are left to reflect on the symbiosis between the weather and our current ‘situation’. Gone are the heady days of barbecues in hot sunshine with a permitted number of family/friends, socially distancing in the garden, the sounds of a country gradually returning to ‘normal’ in the distance – was that wedding bells I heard? Announced are a raft of re-imposed restrictions and a sense of growing foreboding…

It is in my nature to be positive, I think, and the change of the seasons does at least open up the re-visiting of old rituals and the chance to start new ones. When I was working as a teacher, I would try to be out of the country for as much of the summer as feasibly possible, or at least away from home; one afternoon spent in the house in six weeks was our most successful summer. In lockdown, in the country and at home I was present for what the garden had to offer. This year, the damson tree was heavy with fruit and I thought I should to try to use it. Now stored carefully in a dark cupboard I have damson gin and damson vodka, both of which should be ready for Christmas. Damson jam has been made (and snaffled by children# 2 and 3 to take with them as they return to their lives elsewhere!). The sloes are out and ripe for picking, so the writer her indoors is readying herself for her annual mission to make enough sloe gin that we can put some aside for once. Poo bags – well, what else would you use when out walking pampered pooch? – filled with sloes have already been emptied, re-bagged and frozen in readiness.

Beans have been grown for the first time and are plants that keep on giving, as have both the peppers and the aubergines. I don’t know what happened with the tomatoes – suffice it to say that I won’t even be making green tomato chutney this year! Earlier documented battles with brambles mean that we have far fewer blackberries to pick this year and those branches that are laden with fruit are impossible to reach. The last of the cabbages have been cleared and the lettuce has finished… yes, amongst (and despite) the depressing daily news items, it has been a pleasure to be around this summer – roll on whatever is coming next!

Eating: The aforementioned damson jam, liberally spread on homemade wholemeal bread. The writer her indoors had munched it considerably whilst I was looking for my phone to take a picture. Note to self that I need a thermometer, now, as I was guessing at the temperature of the mixture!

Drinking: I’m not really much of a spirits drinker, but, as the nights close in and winter draws nearer, I am enjoying the above. It is probably really more of a ‘Christmas’ drink, but I prefer to think of it as grown up Cointreau. Seville orange, cardamon and cloves give this an absolutely delightful, end of the evening in front of the fire feel.

Listening to: Peggy Lee. A recent, quiet, low-key, socially distanced ‘drink and nibbles’ evening turned into something else and the song of the night, in my opinion, was Fever, just an absolute classic that I hadn’t heard for some time. I’m also loving the brass arrangement on Ain’t we got fun.