Sat 2 Sep 2023 1034hrs BST

 

Well, it's 'official' - yesterday the geese returned. 1 September is the meteorological First Day of Autumn but it usually is another few weeks before the geese arrive to overwinter on local lochs, they've arrived early this year. The swifts left last week - also early for their annual departure. 

The rowans are already stripped of berries, the beech and other trees in my neighbourhood began turning around the 15th of August. The past two nights our central heating kicked in (it's permanently set to keep the house at 20C/68F, the lowest setting my cardiologist will approve as we struggle to keep gas&electric costs low during the 'crisis' caused by greed and Putin). We've needed a blanket over the summer weight bed sheets for over a week.

I hesitate to predict but the signs are glaring we may-might-could be in for a hard winter. I've got about halfway through the seasonal bedding and clothing mend-wash-put into drawers and wardrobe presses - something tells me I need to speed that process up. 

The pantry and freezers are stocked with autumn and even some winter foods, I've begun planning the Christmas-Boxing Day-New Year lunches and baking to start stocking in October. The new house and personal diaries have been delivered. Autumn deep cleaning is done. 

 

Christmas presents are arriving (I always try to be finished with Christmas shopping by the middle of September or early October at the latest) and I dug out some Christmas fabric to make large bag to hang from the stocking hook on the mantel. It's a rather fancy bag in green poly-satin (machine washable) with silver rope trim and tassels and I am confident Paul will not peek. The bag is not something I would have displayed so openly if the grands were regular visitors but Paul loves just seeing the bag hanging there, the bulges increasing every time the doorbell rings.

I can't help thinking, though, I've forgot something in my annual autumn-winter planning and the nagging feeling is new to me. I've rarely felt 'I've forgot something important' over my years of being Mrs Ultra Prepared but this year I am feeling it. I'll go through my lists this afternoon - just now another cup of tea and catch-up telly beckons:)