Ode to Autumn

Hello there!, Jess here from Green Minds....It's been a little while since our last blog post as we've  been catching up with our gardening project work at Brecon Cathedral and out walking with our members again, but it felt important to mark this shift in season..So happy autumn to you all and I hope this may be a time of rest and recovery for many.

I would also like to thank Alison Stratford a Brecon local & Green Minds member for sharing her beautiful photography with us to accompany this Autumny post......

As our planet continues it's slow tilt from the sun once again we find ourselves adapting to cooler days and darker nights. For ancient humans this time of year would be a matter of survival, a time of gathering, foraging and searching for warmth in preparation for the long winter ahead. For us modern humans the shift in season can still have it's hardships as our bodies respond to the lower light levels and more challenging weather conditions, which can all affect our energy levels as well as our mood.

As a gardener I am trying to make the most of the light and warmth that remains, watching the plants and leaves multiple shift in colour and resisting the urge for a big autumn tidy up, instead allowing the garden to rest, to flop and fold, becoming a rich and textured forest floor. Letting plants go to seed and leaving them to stand throughout autumn and winter will reward the gardener with a wild and sleepy haven adorned with treasure. Seed heads not only provide our gardens with continued interest throughout the darker months of the year but also provide a precious food source to help sustain our wildlife through the colder months when food is sparse.

​And just like sowing seeds in Spring and nurturing plants into good health can boost our own well-being, perhaps the same could be said for taking time to marvel at the wonder of a frost coated seed head in winter, even after it's seeds have already been dispersed or carried away on the wind, there is beauty in the architecture left behind. Perhaps these moments in our immediate landscape can remind us of natures freedom and ability to let go time and again and begin life's cycle once more. A seed head, a marker of time and transformation......

And like seeds seeking soil in which to bury themselves this is the season for seeking warmth and comfort. However, from a social perspective for me it does feel a little bit odd, as though the seasons are in reverse somehow with so much hibernation time already this year during lockdown. For me it feels important to keep focussed on the subtle changes occurring within nature as a way to maintain a sense of clarity and connection to the wider world.

So how to embrace the shift into Autumn & Winter in an already challenging time?. This time of year can be full of so much richness and colour, a time to sow our seeds for the months ahead, and whilst much of our wildlife begin their nesting for us it can be a time for dreaming, creativity and imagination. For nature too this is a time for rest and recovery, so take time for stillness when you need it. I have always found it helpful to mark the shift in seasons in some way, perhaps by collecting some giant orange and golden leaves and bringing them inside to make an autumnal display, or getting out for an evening walk to catch the last of the light which all help me to accept and embrace the challenges that may lie ahead, and rather than fear what's to come, to instead welcome the change and the opportunity to connect more deeply to the world around me.

​We continue to work according to current government guidelines during our gardening and walking sessions, if you would like to find out more about our activities then please get in touch via the contact page. We also have our latest upcoming events on our News & Events section.

As always this is a community blog page and we welcome any nature & wellbeing writings and photography to feature on our website, so feel free to share your creativity here!.....Please get in touch to find out more ...

Best wishes to all,

Jess