Allotment Tales // Autumn

Although the last remnants of summer hold a wavering vigil to the dying light, it is clear as we look around the allotment now, that autumn is here. 

Our late, lone sunflower is now drooping its ragged head, as though bowing in submission to the omnipotent force of the seasons. 

The palette of the allotment seems to have changed suddenly - from lush, vibrant greens, to browns, burnished   yellows and deep oranges. 

Pumpkin vines have morphed into withered skeletons with bulbous skulls which every day deepen in autumnal colour. 

At this time of year, we often imagine the work to be done - the harvest to be gathered; the rewards enjoyed. We could not be further from the truth. Yes, we have had a bounteous summer, enjoying the fruits of our labour - both physical and metaphysical. But there is still plenty to come. Through the autumn and winter we will gather smaller harvests - of squashes and pumpkins, broccoli, cabbage, parsnips and swedes. 

When things seem to be getting darker and colder, it is easy to become encompassed in negativity, thinking there is little to look forward to until the light returns. I know I am guilty of this each and every year. It is then that I sit back and think of what is yet to come, and what can be planned and prepared for in the coming winter months. We wouldn't expect a harvest of fruit and vegetables next summer without tending the soil, clearing the debris and planting the seeds - why should it be any different with anything else we wish to achieve?