Autumn

The pavements in my part of London are full of fallen leaves, dry and crumbling; this more than anything shows me that summer is well and truly gone and Autumn is here to stay. And - don't say it - it will soon be Christmas!

Funny enough, as you'll see from the photographs, the trees themselves are still in denial, clinging on to their green cover in a rather desperate repudiation of reality. In this they remind me of the human beings who pretend to be young when they, not unlike me, are in the autumn of their lives; how pathetic we can appear as we try to maintain the pretence of youth! Autumn - and the ensuing Winter - are inevitable, indeed vital, to life and all that surround it. This is not on an individual level, for obviously some living things will disappear forever, but concerns life as a whole, the full cycle thereof.

Nature is incredibly beautiful, though it can often be harsh and extreme throughout its cycles, anywhere in the world. Britain, with its relatively mild climate sees wonderful changes of colour but maintains a fundamental consistency - nature alters slowly and sensitively, generally avoiding extremes. But change it does, with the natural cycle occasionally gentle, occasionally aggressive, ever-changing. Take the time to observe, for it is fascinating and extends to all species - it's just that some have shorter, some longer cycles.

Human beings are fortunate to have a relatively long life cycle, with our earthly presence extended to exceed seventy years under normal circumstances and despite our best efforts. In fact, as living conditions improve, human life expectancy grows and exceeding eighty is a fairly normal event; what is not clear is how our extended life cycle affects the cycles of everything else around us.

Autumn is beautiful, if somewhat sad, extravagantly shedding the panoply of summer to arrive at the bareness of Winter with nature in retreat, asleep, recovering and preparing for the rebirth (a reawakening, actually) of Spring. I enjoy everything about it, the colours, the mess (of course I have no tidying up of the loose leaves to do, I live in a flat!), the winding down in preparation. The cold weather heralded brings a reinvigoration of the survival instinct to humans after the sloth of summer, and we have to fight harder for our existence - no, I don't mean the Christmas festivities... - so we batten down the hatches. And before we know it the cold begins to soften, buds start appearing, Winter gives way to Spring and the natural cycle of life begins again, delicate, fragile and exquisite.

For those of you looking for religious parallels in the scribblings of an irreligious person please note that the natural cycles are of slumber and reawakening, not death and rebirth; the first is part of the natural order of things, the second a concept (to my mind philosophical) as yet unproven in any way shape or form. Believe, if you must, but enjoy and understand life around you anyway.