FALL

I have been lucky enough to live on the east coast of North America for several years. Of all the places I have travelled, it is here that the autumnal colours of fall are at their most vivid and varied. For just a few short weeks of the year, in New England and the Canadian Maritimes, the deep maple reds, warm orange and amber of beech and birch, and the bright yellows of larch and poplar reach a crescendo of almost supernatural saturation and kaleidoscopic colour. Cold, crisp fall mornings give way to the gentle warmth of the afternoon, birds begin to gather in preparation for their various migrations, and preparations are made in the garden and at home for the coming of winter. This chorus of colour heralds the imminent arrival of Winter’s death, for these leaves at least, but for now nothing can compare to these glorious days of fall.