The Autumn of my Life

I hit forty this month. Did I mention?! And now I’m here, forty feels like the autumn of my life.

Stay with me here, mummas. Sounds a bit weird, but I know you’ve come to expect that. Weird is my happy place, after all!

It’s kind of mathematical. I’ve always thought of life as being divided into seasons. If I’m lucky enough to make it to eighty, then my four seasons would be four little chunks of twenty.

Spring of my life
Me as a spring chicken! Ahhhhhh.

I’ve done spring – those first twenty years when life is budding and you bounce around like an excited lamb, learning all the things. Spring was cute, but trust me, life gets cuter.

The second twenty years were my summer, in full glorious bloom. OK, so most days I was distinctly nothing like a rose garden – but you catch my drift. There was magic in the air and flowers in my hair.  (I know – that rhyme was terrible!)

Summer holidays
The summer of my life – I told you there were flowers in my hair. Bad look?!

Here’s the Autumn of My Life

And now comes autumn, which quite honestly has always been my favourite. I was born in the autumn, so I think that makes a difference. Do you favour your birthday season?

Anyway it’s the time of year for bonfires, fireworks, pumpkins, Halloween. Rustling through crunchy leaves, sitting by crackling fires, snuggling up with a blanket and marshmallow-y hot chocolate.

Fresh autumn walks when it’s cold enough to bundle up in a scarf but not so cold your fingers feel frosty. And the colours – even a grey day can never be grey. The trees are alive with the fire of orange leaves which fall around you like bright confetti.

Autumn Promises…

Autumn promises nothing but always brings surprises.

Not like that sneaky summer which is meant to be hot but never is. (Or if it is, it’s too damned sweaty.)

Not like cheeky old winter which promises a white Christmas but delivers you drizzle.

Autumn sells itself as chilly with a chance of rain clouds. Then it rocks up with it’s glorious sunny surprises, it’s Indian summers, its crisp gorgeous days. Autumn is the jewel in the crown.

Autumn of my life
Rocking autumn in a kind of garish yellow…

Embrace That Magic

So now I’m in the autumn of my life, I’m ready to embrace that magic. I know in terms of seasons, it’s the part where bits shrivel up and fall off. And over the next twenty years, that’s quite possibly what will happen!

But right now I’m ready to live in my season of fire. My season of unexpected sunshine, of glorious days when you just expected grey, of oranges, reds and yellows.

Because I have so many exciting things planned for my autumn. I am a mum now. For a long part of my so-called blooming summer I thought I never would be. But it’s also my time to be fierce. To do all those exciting things I was too cautious to do in my greener seasons. I have so many dreams getting ready to take flight…

What Dreams?

My first romcom novel is hitting the inboxes of agents and publishers, and I am having a ball writing my second. One day these books will be published – I have every faith.

I’m working on a fantastic new author website, full of pineapples and frolics. It will be my space to blog about writing, and to share what I learn along the way. I would love to support other writers on this glorious creative journey, and I have even more plans for that too.

Autumn frolics pineapple
She carried a pineapple?! I’ll keep you posted…

I have an amazing idea for a non-fiction project which I know would make a fantastic book. I can’t wait to tell you more when the concept has finished brewing.

In fact, I’m so full of ideas my head feels like it’s blossoming in spring. It’s amazing how creativity flows when you are doing things you love, surrounded by people who set your soul alight.

It has taken me forty years of rickety uphill climbing to get here, but now it’s time to take my feet off the pedals and bomb down that hill like I have nothing to fear.

So forty, let me at you. Autumn of my life, I’m ready. Let’s hit this dazzling season like a woman who means business.

I Would Love to Know…

Which season of your life do you feel like you’re in? And do you have a favourite? I’m always excited to hear your thoughts, so please do pop a few words in the comments further below.

And sign up to my blog, beauties. I can’t wait to tell you more…

Photo credits:

Featured image – Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

 

23 Replies to “The Autumn of my Life”

  1. Happy 40th Birthday sweetheart!

    I really like the idea of seasons. I’m in Summer still, but that late summer that lends itself to the early hints of Autumn.

    I have to say I’m a summer baby that doesn’t particularly like the season, but turning 30 was life changing for me. It began a beautiful period of my life that continues even now.

    Bring on Autumn x

    1. Thank you, sweet lady!

      I did love thirty too – long live these precious times. Thanks so much for reading and taking time to comment. Xx

  2. It’s funny you should say your birth season is the one you identify with – I’m definitely a summer girl all the way. Give me a blue sky and a warm breeze. But I’m also in the autumn of my life. I love your separation of twenty years. My body no longer feels the sun is shining on it – I think it’s started to develop a thick coat for the the winter… including those hairs that seem to appear out of nowhere e.g on your chin. Please don’t make me the bearded granny for my winter? A fab post – thanks for making me smile and welcome to the forties club. X

    1. Bearded granny – that’s hilarious! I hadn’t thought about developing a thick coat, but it makes a lot of sense. Maybe we need to elect a buddy to come and sort our chins out when we get too old to notice…😬 Thanks for reading, gorgeous lady. Xx

  3. Happy 40th Birthday! I love your outlook. It’s such a positive one. Winter is my favourite season because I love all the festive lights shining in the dark but I don’t think I’m in the winter of my life yet. More the end of the summer I think!

    1. Thank you, lovely lady. Winter is certainly cosy, but I hope it doesn’t creep up on me too soon! Enjoy that summer fun. Xx

  4. First, happy birthday! Hope you’re having an amazing birthday month. And not that you asked the question if I favor the birthday season (question that I have never been asked before) I totally do! I’m all over summer.

    I feel like I’m in spring – I have so many ideas and new things that I’m trying that I feel like I’m finally starting to bloom 🙂

    1. Aha, my birthday seasons theory is holding up! I just kind of felt like there must be a deeper season why I’m such an autumn freak. 😆

      Enjoy your spring, lovely lady. Xx

    2. Aha, my birthday seasons theory is holding up! I just kind of felt like there must be a deeper season why I’m such an autumn freak. 😆

      Enjoy your spring, lovely lady. Xx

  5. What a fabulous post…I love everything about it and it makes so much sense to me! (But maybe that’s because I’m a little bit weird too!) Wishing you many belated birthday wishes and the best of luck in securing a publishing deal!

    1. Oh wow, I’m so touched my your comments – thank you. Yay – weird chicks unite. Will keep you all posted about the books…xx

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