Summer feels like a lifetime ago, even though it’s been less than two weeks since I was in Montenegro, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. A cold, the return to lecturing, and the arrival of October have all conspired to accelerate time. And while autumn has its downsides, it’s hard not to admire the season’s brilliance—the incredible colours, the quiet romance of leaves dancing in the wind, and, of course, the unapologetically cheesy fun of the Halloween build-up.
It amuses me to dress the house for the occasion. There’s something charming about these tongue-in-cheek festivities—a playful way to mark the passing of one great season and ease into another. Halloween and Bonfire Night serve as seasonal centrepieces and warm-up acts for winter and Christmas, helping us shift gears with a little humour and a touch of theatricality.
Dr Martin James 