Autumn is Here!

Greetings from an unseasonably warm day here in South Manchester. It is my birthday today and I am going to just relax doing nothing apart from writing this blog post and watch some football later. 

My birthday is of course in Autumn and today from Sunday Stealing there are questions about Autumn or, as Americans call it, “Fall”.

I have to say that I don’t mind what Autumn is called by Americans, apart from in one case – and that case is Duolingo. I appreciate that Duolingo is an American company and I love it. It has helped improve my Spanish considerably and I have also dipped into Italian, after my trip to Sicily last week. However, the one criticism I have is that they have Americanised the English on there, which has led to mistakes on my part. 

One of the main culprits is “fall” because I have ended up mistranslating from Spanish to English and vice versa because of the word. And “football” too has tripped me up because in America “football” becomes “soccer”. 

It’s a minor complaint but I won’t rant about it; I am fluent in American and when I use Duolingo, I have to switch to becoming an American to minimise mistakes. 

It works.

Anyway, let’s answer the questions (for which I shall substitute “fall” for “autumn” for the benefit of any British readers who might stumble across the post). 

1. Are there any autumn-specific hobbies or crafts you enjoy pursuing?

Not really. For me, autumn is similar to summer in that it is pleasant outside usually (apart from the end of the season). I still walk every day if I can but the mornings are darker and I have to wear a slightly beefier coat. Otherwise I treat autumn just like the summer.

2. Do you have any favourite autumn-inspired recipes you like to cook or bake?

Not really. We tend to eat more casseroles and soups as the weather gets colder but that’s about it. 

3. Are you a fan of Hallowe’en? If so, what's been your favourite costume?

Absolutely not. 

I am glad that I don’t live in America when Hallowe’en comes along. We seem to be adopting it here more and more and usually there are a few kids knocking at the door asking for treats. We either stay in and ignore the door, or go out. 

I sound like the Hallowe'en version of Scrooge, don't I?

That said, I love the origins of Hallowe’en and the fact that you are meant to ward of evil spirits. Usually on Hallowe’en, the TV shows scary movies and programmes and I try to watch a couple of them. I love a bit of horror.

4.  Do you have any childhood memories related to the autumn season?

My dad was a keen gardener. He used to grow lots of vegetables, so many in fact that he used to end up giving a lot of it away. We used to live next to the entrance of a park, and next to the long garden we had was a dead end road where people used to park to use the park itself. There were lots of trees around and so the road was full of leaves from the trees as autumn progressed. My dad used to hand us huge bags and get us to collect the leaves so that he could use them to turn into compost for his garden. I had no idea whether this worked but he seemed to think so.

Of course, autumn also meant a return to school and a new year with new challenges. It was a mixture of excitement at being a year higher but also more challenging in terms of the subject matter becoming more difficult.

5.  What kind of outdoor activities do you enjoy during the autumn months?

Autumn marks the start of the football season (that’s the “soccer” season if you are American). It is also the start of the rugby season too. As a child, I would play football in the local park and be forced to play rugby at school.

As an adult, things haven’t changed so much by the time autumn comes. I tend to go out for walks in both summer and autumn but spend slightly less time outdoors than I do in summer. The activities are the same until it starts to get too cold.

6. Do you look forward to 'sweata weatha'? What is your favourite go-to outfit for autumn?

By “sweata weatha” I assume you mean wearing sweaters and pullovers. I do start to wear them in autumn, more so towards the end of the season. But really, I don’t really “look forward” to it; I just wear them when I am cold.

7. Are you a fan of pumpkin or apple flavoured treats or beverages?

I don’t really eat pumpkin to be honest. But I am a fan of apples and apple flavoured treats and beverages – with the exception of cider, which has a tendency to upset my stomach. I usually eat two apples a day (Granny Smith’s) and I drink apple juice too.

8. Which autumn scents do you find most appealing?

I like autumn and the local park here where I live has a nice musty autumn smell as the leaves fall from the trees. Apart from that, I don’t really notice the scent apart from the loss of newly cut grass and summer flowers, which is a shame.

9. Do you like to visit apple orchards or pumpkin patches or corn mazes?

It’s not something I have ever done, if I’m honest.

10. Have you ever participated in or attended an autumn festival or harvest fair?

I have been to a few shows in local National Trust historic estates like Tatton Park and Dunham Massey but it’s not something I do that often.

11. What's your favourite thing about autumn?

I like the fact that the trees change colour and when I walk or drive down a tree-lined avenue, it looks very pretty. The weather is usually still quite pleasant at the start of the season too so walking is very comfortable.

12. Are you more of a cider or hot chocolate person when it comes to autumn beverages?

Hot chocolate because as I said above, cider can upset my stomach.

13. What's your ideal way to spend a crisp autumn evening?

Go for a walk. Walking is best when there is a slight chill in the air because I walk quite quickly and work up a little bit of a sweat. 

14. Do you like to dress up for Halloween? What's your favourite costume or what costume do you plan for this year? Do you like to make your own costume?

No plans to dress up for Hallowe’en for the reasons I gave above. Actually, if the truth be known, I could walk around as normal and scare a lot of people.

15. Are you a football fan? What's your favourite team?

Yes I am a football fan (again that’s “soccer” for Americans). My favourite team is my hometown team – Walsall. They are terrible and are currently floundering in the fourth tier of the English football league. This season seems to have started like the previous ones. Yesterday we lost 4-0. You would have thought that they could have made an effort for my birthday. Sadly it wasn’t to be.

I will switch briefly to American mode now.

No – I am not a football fan. I find American Football a little hard to follow though I do know what a quarterback is. To me, it just seems like a crazy game where a load of men dressed in helmets and padding try to beat each other up. There are similarities between rugby and American football but only in the shape of the ball. For example, in rugby, the ball can only be passed backwards but in American Football it seems that this quarterback fellow can launch the ball forward for his colleagues to catch. 

I have watched part of one Super Bowl game but to be honest, I didn’t have a clue what was going on so I switched it off to go to bed (it was on really late in the UK).

That said, when it comes to American sports, I prefer baseball. At least I understand the game more.