There was a definite chill in the air when I stepped out of my front door this morning.  A coolness.  It made me want to scurry back inside and pull on my coat.  And socks.  And boots.  (I didn’t though – it is still August after all and I’m pretty stubborn about these things.)

As I drove my girls to nursery and kids club I noticed that a few of the leaves on the trees are starting to change colour already – definite golds and browns and tinges of orange in between the glossy greens that are determinedly hanging on.  I may even have caught a glimpse of a couple of conkers nestled high up in the branches.

It’s exciting.

It means that September is coming.

Don’t get me wrong – I love the summer.  In fact, I actually need the heat and the sunlight for health-related reasons.  Without sunlight and warmth I really struggle, physically and emotionally.  Even my doctor advised me to go on holiday somewhere hot and sunny.

Despite this, September is my absolute favourite time of the year.

September means blue skies and sunshine and (maybe) an Indian summer.  Or it could mean frosty leaves on the ground and blustery wind and bracing walks.  September is the start of Autumn and Autumn means jumpers and scarves and layers.  Autumn means hot chocolate and soup and sausages and casseroles and toasted cheese sandwiches.  Autumn means fireworks and snuggling up on the sofa with a good book.

When I was younger, September meant back-to-school and new pens and new notebooks.  It meant seeing all my friends again after the long summer holidays.  It meant wearing new uniform that was ever-so-slightly too big, and breaking in shiny new shoes.

Now that I have children of my own I’m enjoying seeing their excitement that they will soon be back at school, even though we are all having lots of fun together during the summer holidays.  And, to be honest, I’m really looking forward to buying a new diary for myself!

You see, for me September has always meant the start of something new – far more so than 1st January.  It’s now that I start to make plans and set goals and figure out what I want to achieve over the next year.  I’ve got lots of things that I’m working on, and hopefully I can make some of them come to fruition in the next few months.

How about you?  Do you see September as a time to start something new?  If so, I’d love to hear what projects you’re working on, so feel free to leave your comments below.