Autumn Days

It feels a bit more like Autumn should do now doesn't it? There's been a sense of incongruity about the last month or so, talk of heatwaves, 15ºC plus during the day, thermostats being left well alone. But breaking into the second week of October, it seems normality has been restored. That brisk chill that greets you in the morning, the 'winter duvet' being pulled from the loft and then that's that all too familiar sound of the central heating clunking into life.

But it's all part of welcoming in the Autumn/Winter. As too is preparing yourself for your outdoor pursuits in these impending conditions. I'm a runner myself and I don't know about everyone else but I find running in the cold (and wet) quite cathartic at times, there's something rather cleansing and free about being soaked to the bone while pounding the pavement and roads. The same goes with running in the cold, wrapping yourself up in a cocoon of hats, gloves and windproof clothing while still having palpable sense of the temperature outside around you. Of course arriving back home to be greeted by a piping hot shower and deserved mug of tea helps you push through it all, making it all completely worth it at the end. Gear wise when it comes to my runs, I'm pretty much Montane through and through, I'd be lost without my Featherlite Smock and Logo Beanie around this time of year!

One thing that has been engrained in my head year after year from my school days is the 'Autumn Days' hymn. Whenever we hit September/October or at the mere mention of Autumn my brain immediately wants to belt the song out. Although it hasn't been until very recently that I've started to question one particular line in the song, which goes back to that incongruity I mentioned above. "Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled, and the silk inside a chestnut shell, jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled, all these things I love so well". Now I don't know about you, but when I think of Autumn, 'jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled', isn't something that jumps out at me at being immediately autumnal, but it fits nicely, so we'll let the lyricists of on that one!

Coming back closer to home, our Autumn/Winter Range is now pretty much fully in stock! Baring a few additions we'll see arrive in the next couple of weeks or so, we're all set for the chill!

And if you havn't heard 'Autumn Days', here's the lyrics in full...

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled
And the silk inside a chestnut shell
Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled
All these things I love so well
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Clouds that look like familiar faces
And a winter’s moon with frosted rings
Smell of bacon as I fasten up my laces
And the song the milkman sings.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Whipped-up spray that is rainbow-scattered
And a swallow curving in the sky
Shoes so comfy though they’re worn out and they’re battered
And the taste of apple pie.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Scent of gardens when the rain’s been falling
And a minnow darting down a stream
Picked-up engine that’s been stuttering and stalling
And a win for my home team.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.

A rather merry tune if ever there was one! But carefully, Youtube this at your peril, you'll never be able to rid your brain of it!