Late October and early November can be such a lovely time of year. If the weather is kind then you'll be drenched in golden sunshine and plunging temperatures. It's a magical time, when thoughts turn towards Christmas and the hope that the yule time brings.
The nights draw in, greatly exaggerated by the changing clocks and the mornings become dark. The distant popping of fireworks, crackling fires, roast dinners and red wine satisfy the appetite created from long woodland walks where the trees spoil you with 50 shades of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It can become difficult to imagine wandering around in shorts, flip flops and t-shirts as the temperature changes. Cosy and comfy clothes replace skimpy outfits as hats, scarves and gloves embrace and embroil your body.
The pace of the year begins to change. From the urgency of Spring and Summer to the preparation of Autumn for Winter, life begins to slow as the seasons begin to hibernate. It's a glorious time of year and, if the homework has been done, you can begin to sit back and enjoy the relaxed pace.
And that's something that I've been trying to teach. Down time tends to feel so much better if the work has been done. If you've put in the hours, the days, the weeks and the months of hard work then you can appreciate and enjoy the slower pace. If you haven't then there will be a sense of personal guilt or a lack of entitlement.
Our children are very homely. In fact if you gave them the choice of being anywhere in the world at any time then they'd always choose home. They don't want to go to school, it's too much of an inconvenience and given the choice they'd be privately tutored in a heartbeat. And there's a part of us that leans that way; the freedom, the opportunity, the quality of learning, the flexibility and their happiness. But I believe that they need school, they need the social interaction, the external discipline and the time away from home.
After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
It's always good to look forward to something, whether it's a summer holiday or just going home. But the thought of home is an interesting topic. Many refer to home as the place they grew up in and, if their parents haven't moved, it'll still be with their parents, no matter their age. Whilst others refer to home as the house they've brought their children up in, and we most certainly fall into the latter.
We've created so many memories already I wonder if anyone else could be as happy as we are.
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