Autumn!!

I love autumn. I have to admit that I really love living in Melbourne, a place where we experience all four seasons in a year, but I have a particular fondness for the milder, "changing" seasons (autumn and spring) then I do summer and winter. Summer is too hot and winter is too cold, but I reckon the other seasons get it just about right, don't you? Coleman Jnr was born in autumn, and Miss Coleman was born in Spring, so these times of year also bring a nice sense of nostalgia as well....ah, life.

So here are my top 20 ways to enjoy autumn.

1. Find some beautiful autumn leaves and stare at them and realise that they are amazing.

2. The days are getting shorter, so I'm guessing the nights are getting longer (...although I was never very good at math’s. )Enjoy the nights, enjoy the dark. Get into your PJ's early, sit on the couch. Watch TV, read a good book.

3. Drink large amounts of hot drinks. Tea is my choice, but if you're a coffee drinker or hot chocolate drinker, go for it! Make a pot, use a nice cup and make sure it’s a nice part of your day!

4. If you're in Melbourne, get excited about the footy. Whether it’s in your blood (like it's in mine) or not, just embrace it. We like going to the local footy matches; it's cheaper, the kids can run around, there is always a much better community atmosphere, and a fairly decently priced sausage sizzle going!

5. Knit! Or crochet, or make a friendship bracelet. Just do something with wool, coz it's cozy and you'll feel happy!

6. Don't wait till spring to do a spring clean. Do an autumn clean! Go hard, and change things around if you're feeling like you need a change. Move a couch, change a cushion cover or put some new pics up. A change is as good as a holiday.

7. Make lists. Did you make new years resolutions? Have you forgotten about them? Uh-oh! Quick! Before we're half way through the year remind yourself of your goals and make a plan for seeing them happen!

8. Cook things other then "dinner." A cake for afternoon tea, home made bread for fun, muffins for a neighbour, chutney for the community! It’s a good time of year to have the oven on and to be busy at the stove.

9. Enjoy the snuggle. Doonas, blankets, hot water bottles, beanies and scarves are pretty energy efficient ways to get warm. I’m sure by winter the heater will have to get turned on occasionally, but if we try to get into a few good habits now the heater might become the last resort and not the first on a chilly day.

10. Get into the garden. If you've had a bit of rain, the soil should be nice and soft. I actually weeded for an hour the other day and enjoyed it!

11. Celebrate Easter with some simple family traditions. Some of ours: Hot cross buns and fish and chips on Good Friday, making our own Easter eggs with fairtrade chocolate, and celebrating on Easter Sunday with some friends in the neighborhood.

12. Have more friends over for cuppas.

13. Forget emails, texts, and blogs for a while. Call a friend and have a really long chat on the phone. Like when you were in high school. It's still cool.

14. Go Op shopping and see what scarves, beanies, blankets and jackets you can find for the family before the harsh winter hits!

15. Have a Crafternoon (or morning) with your friends.

16. Don’t' wait for the warmer months to have a holiday. Some of my fondest memories growing up were that we always seemed to have holidays in the cooler months. Holidays for us meant fire places, warm meals, rugging up in the back seat of our Kingswood, and staying up later then our bed time to watch movies or footy on the TV! Even our trips up to Queensland to visit family were always in winter. Maybe it was strange, but it suited us fine.

17. Read. Books are always good, but they're even better when you're warm under a blanket. Can't do that in summer!

18. Try something you haven't tried before, Go somewhere you haven’t been.

19. Use your extra "inside" time to get creative. What do you like to do? Sew? Finger knit? Make cards? Write songs? Poetry? Decorate cakes?

20. Stay connected. Don’t get lonely. Visit someone who might be. Phone people. It’s only gray outside, you don’t have to feel gray.

Hope you enjoyed my autumn tips! Let me know what you do to make use of this great time of year. If you are reading this in the other half of the world, you’re probably getting excited about welcoming in spring! Hooruh.

Mezz