October in the Chair

For some, like me, born in October, autumn comes early and stays throughout life. This is, always, the time for rain, and for the storms rolling in. The time for listening to Elliott Smith and Múm. For pumpkin soup and long walks through the fog. For cold feet, a runny nose and headaches. For the smoke of coal and peat fires in the air, and red and brown and yellow leaves rotting in the gutter. For dark mornings and warm beds. For stories of faeries, dwarfs, and trolls. For skulls and spiderwebs and the first testing fingers of frost. For sausages and strong beer. The eternal reminder that, regardless of how much rubbish we produce and consume and how much we raise the temperature of Earth, winter and death are coming.