Equinox

Fly agaric

Here in the northern hemisphere we always think that summer ends and autumn begins on September 21st - the time of our autumnal equinox - though in the contrary southern hemisphere, it is of course the moment of their vernal or spring equinox. The word "equinox" comes from the Latin aequus meaning equal and nox meaning night so at the time of the two annual equinoxes, nights will be of equal length. In truth, the day of the equinox can vary and this year it will actually occur on September 23rd, not the 21st.

Nonetheless, which ever way you look at it, autumn is upon us heralding the dark days of winter. I have dug up the last of our potatoes and my four vigorous courgette plants are struggling to provide any more fruit. Apples are falling and there are no more than half a dozen plums left on the little tree we planted a year ago. I know I need to dig over the vegetable patch and kill off any endemic weeds ahead of early frosts or heavy periods of rain. That way the soil will be better prepared for next year's duties.

Autumn feels like my season. In my birth family, I was the only one to have a birthday then. The football season got properly underway and just ahead there was Bonfire Night, with biscuit tins of fireworks, buttery jacket potatoes and fresh toffee apples. A time for climbing trees for the most promising conkers and just a little further ahead sparkled our pagan midwinter festival which was renamed "Christmas" - really quite recently in the great span of time.

Forgive me this indulgence, but a poem for the coming season...

Autumn

Fungi stirs in bejewelled turf

The fly agaric wraps its whiskery roots

Subterraneanly round hidden arms and fingers

Anchoring our defiant trees to this Earth.

Bonfires burn in gardens -

Loppings and prunings -

Summer's debris crackling

Like jetsam piled on suburban shores.

The rising smoke smells bitter-sweet

Curling and billowing greyly,

Unsure of its direction.

I see a single sycamore leaf

Suspended by a cobweb

And observe its veins -

Its delightful variegation

In amber, ochre and dappled green.

Like a piece of Mediterranean Art

Hanging in September sun

Quite lovely yet unseen.