I am sitting here looking out my window and it is a glorious day. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, there is a nip in the air and my energy levels, which I find dip alarmingly in the summer, are perking up. It seems a long time since The Heatwave in the summer when all we did was greet friends with FFS Isn't it HOT? and when is it going to end as we tossed and turned at night and threw the duvet on the floor.
Autumn is my favourite season. I love it when the nights draw in and I pull the curtains and put the lights on and it is all cosy and warm and I settle down with a book and tea and words like gemutlich and hygge come to mind. I discovered last year that I have been practicising hygge for yonks and never knew it.
I also find that I can deal with heftier tomes and it is in the winter that I read Dickens and Trollope. I cannot cope with them in the summer which is something I have given up trying to work out. I have recently taken delivery of three volumes of a scholarly work on L M Montgomery published by the Toronto University Press. I have yearned after these for a long time but retailing at £75 each gave me pause for thought. But I spotted them online at £25 each so snapped them up straight away. They are going to take some reading and I have already flicked and dipped and they look fascinating.
This time of the year means lighter sillier things as well. By that I mean the Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing.
Shallow? I feel no shame.
I had my doubts about the GBBO when Channel Four swooped in and nicked it off the BBC and Paul Hollywood became a Villain who Could not be Trusted. I thought Prue Leith? won't be as good as Mary Berry and Noel Fielding? Who he? and Sandi Toksvig was pretty low on my fun list. But I admit I was wrong. It has worked out very well. Prue turns up in each episode in a wide multi coloured assortment of fun clothes and super glasses and adorned with weird and wonderful jewellery; Noel has turned out to be a real sweetie who helps and consoles the contestants; Sandi has grown on me though I wish they would drop the scripted 'funny' bits with Noel. They are at their best when they ad-lib. Paul H remains the same with his spiky hair and Ronseal tan but I find him less lovely than I used to think him. I am honest enough to say that his off screen behaviour has been a bit messy and I think that has probably affected my opinion. But the show is still great and each week I am on the Guardian live blog which is hilarious and full of incredibly witty people.
And the ad breaks come in handy when I want a cuppa or a wee.
Strictly Come Dancing. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
The whole thing is really barking mad and full of sequins and fake tan and tears and tantrums but I love it. I never miss an episode if I can help it and the experience is enhanced, once again, by a live blog in the Guardian with a team of Strictly fanatics like me who bitch and chat and goss below the line in the comments section. We have been doing this for years and we also have a group where we meet and chat throughout the year as we have got to know each other so well.
I will be doing my weekly blog starting this week - I usually leave it a week or two while I sort everyone out and this can take some doing, particularly this year as I have not heard of half the Slebs. I have some early comments:
Anton has, as usual, been lumbered with the 'older woman with two left feet'. Happens every time. This year it is Susanah Constantine and all Anton can do with somebody like this is play it for laughs as she is so inept. There have been quite a few comments saying that this is disrespectful to the contestant, but he does not do it when he gets somebody who can dance. He actually got through to the semi final with Katie Derham a year or so ago who, much though I dislike her, could dance. I predict that they will be evicted the first week.
Kate Silverton who reads the news and who I like enormously is teamed with Aljaz, the nicest man on the planet, and she turned in an excellent performance this week. She is 6 feet tall and says he has 'enormous feet' but she looked stunning on Saturday night. Already one of my favourites.
I will go through the rest at the end of this week but there are a few that are going to be major irritants I can already see...
So Strictly, Bake Off, lots of books, things to do, loads of grandchildren looking after coming up, leaves turning gold and crimson. What is not to like?
Happy Autumn/Fall everyone.
