My favourite season has arrived!

First conker of the season :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
What? Not Christmas already?! I hear you cry in horror!
No! Calm down, panique pas! I'm sure Father Christmas is nowhere near organized with this year’s booty yet! No, I'm talking about the most wonderful time of the year for me, which if you know me, has always been autumn!  

Early this morning, I was out training a client in the fresh September air, wishing I had a slightly warmer jacket on and willing the sun to wake up a little faster. Once finished, I decided to check out a different potential spot for training another new client when I came across my first conker laying on the ground. It was all shiny and new having been freshly released from its silky bed. That can only mean one thing; autumn is upon us! I always collect the first conker I find as a token that my favourite season has arrived.  It went straight in my backpack to come home with me. There it will rest in my little Paris apartment in pride of place on our bits and bobs dresser, slowly shriveling for the next couple of months until winter arrives and it gets (somewhat sadly) replaced by Christmas decorations.  

The trees are starting to shed their leaves in Paris already probably due to the relatively mild summer we’ve been having since the heat wave thankfully left us alone in early July. They laid crisp on the ground as I crunched my way over them jogging across Jardin des Tuileries and I felt all excited with childish contentment that we rarely get to feel in busy, serious adult lives.  

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been in love with Autumn. I’d walk back to school after the long summer holidays, book bag and lunch box in hand, to find the trees surrounding the school grounds shedding bright yellow and red leaves. They would fall, tumbling lightly to form big, soft piles of warm colours just waiting to be kicked and waded through. Their vibrancy and ability to change so naturally over time had me enamoured. We'd go into assembly and sit crossed-legged singing 'Autumn days' (you know the one... #when the grass is jewelled#), trying to read the handwritten lyrics scribbled in fluorescent green pen off of the projector screen while Mrs Marshall banged away enthusiastically on the piano. Swaying happily and bumping each other playfully, we'd take great joy in singing louder than our neighbour with each chorus until we reached the final line and, in no particular key, a crescendo of kentish voices screeched 'To say a great big thank you, I mustn't forgeeeeet!' The sound rang out proudly around the hall and rattled the fogged up window panes. Ah, those were the days! Apart from being great fun, I always remember thinking how beautifully the lyrics described Autumn and made that magical feeling I had for it come to life. 
​It's still a great song that reminds us to count our blessings and appreciate day to day life and nature doing it's natural thing.

For anyone who doesn't know this nostalgic school song, please click on the 'read more' button and scroll down to be enlightened!

​Back 'À Paris' in the year 2017, it’s still mild, but not too hot, I know I can soon break out my favourite hats and light scarves from my 'winter wardrobe', and there’s a soft wind gently blowing the remains of summer away. The clocks haven’t been turned back so we still have our evenings to enjoy before winter rouses and takes a hold. The wind tickling the trees always reminds me of my favourite Enid Blyton story book, ‘The Enchanted Wood’ where the author describes the magic, rustling sounds as the trees whispering ‘a wisha wisha wisha’ to one another. There’s an energy in the air that makes me feel, somehow, more alive.
​
​So while many people will be mourning the loss of summer sun, holidays and the sad return to a proper work routine you’ll most probably find me still grinning away happily to myself as we sail, inevitably, into this new segment of the year.

I think it was the adventures of Bessie, Jo and Fanny (yep, that still makes me giggle, even now, as a fully grown 30 year old) that started off my love of Autumn with their whispering trees and faraway magical lands. Go ahead and order a copy, you're never too old for a Blyton story!

                
If, after a summer of indulgence, you’re starting to get back to normal daily life and regretting that all inclusive holiday buffet or endless evening rosé sessions, get in touch! My time slots are filling up rather quickly with people who want to get back on the fitness wagon and make the rest of the year count and you can too. There’s never a better time than today to take control of your health and fitness and, although the weather is turning, you won’t believe the pride and contentment you’ll feel after you get out in the fresh air and move your body. Maybe you’ll even join my Autumn fan club!

​  Hop on over to my contact page and tell me your goals and aspirations and realize that there is still time yet to raise yourself up this 2017!

Contact

---

For anyone who didn't go to Brookfield Primary School and wondered what the hell I'm talking about when I mentioned 'Autumn days', here's the lyrics and a link to a very cute group of school kids singing it...

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled
And the silk inside a chestnut shell
Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled
All these things I love so well
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Clouds that look like familiar faces
And a winter’s moon with frosted rings
Smell of bacon as I fasten up my laces
And the song the milkman sings.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Whipped-up spray that is rainbow-scattered
And a swallow curving in the sky
Shoes so comfy though they’re worn out and they’re battered
And the taste of apple pie.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.
Scent of gardens when the rain’s been falling
And a minnow darting down a stream
Picked-up engine that’s been stuttering and stalling
And a win for my home team.
So I mustn’t forget
No, I mustn’t forget
To say a great big thank you
I mustn’t forget.