Musings

My Love Hate Relationship With Autumn

Gemma - Wheelescapades

It’s October. That came fast. I know everybody says it but why is it time goes faster the older you get? I’m actually asking for an answer. They say time is fluid, does the speed actually change? Is a moment different for all? Surely life should feel slower as an adult when you don’t have the daily excitement a child does. I don’t know.

Click to add to Pinterest. Images of crispy autumn leave with blog title.
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So its October and autumn has definitely hit. We had a great long summer, weather wise, in my opinion here in Norfolk, UK, anyway. I like the sun, the energy it brings. Mentally and physically for me. I just work better in sun and warmth. My body and brain function well, as well as possible anyway. 

But autumn hit, the weather doesn’t know what it’s doing and I don’t know what to wear. I feel I need sunglasses, a woolly hat, a scarf and a fan all in the same day.

I feel autumn could have been my favourite season if it wasn’t for my SMA, it’s up there still though, if it was warmer. My heart lies with autumn and natures pretty colours.

I love the fashion that autumn brings, cosy jumpers and baggy knitwear. Rusty colours. Being wrapped up in a thick cable knit. As long as it’s not too thick, I can’t move then and feel as though I’m in a straight jacket. My muscles struggle with day to day movements, let alone the extra weight and bulk.

That’s why you won’t catch me shopping for winter coats. It saves a few pennies. I’m a fan of the poncho though, aren’t I glad that came back into fashion, there are now plenty of styles for me to buy. They keep the body warm but do little for the hands. Put them in your pocket or wear gloves I hear you say. Well I could on the one hand, but the other hand needs to be nimble enough to steer the joystick of my chair. We’ve been through the added layers makes moving hard. What also makes moving hard is the cold. You know how when your fingers get so cold they just don’t do what your brain is telling them? Times that by 10. My fingers don’t do what I tell them at the best of times, so add coldness to that and you can see the outcome. Either I cannot move my chair at all, or I run over some crazy stray toddler. Not sure which is worse.

I heard about a battery powered heated scarf recently. I must look into that!

So me and cold don’t combine well. I cannot function frozen. I also freeze quicker than some, due to the no moving thing. I’m not running after a bus, or a toddler, you don’t see me working up a sweat. I move seated in one spot. That doesn’t generate much heat. 

With autumn comes festivities. I love those.

I heart pumpkins. Carving them, eating them, drinking them. I’m there with all this pumpkin spiced stuff, can’t get enough of it in my opinion. The candles, the curry, the lattes, the soup. Oh there is instant porridge too, I’ve got some. Stop wingeing you pumpkin spiced haters out there. Nobody’s making you consume it, in fact don’t, there will be more for me to enjoy then.

Halloween, what a great excuse to dress up!

A selfie style photo of me dressed up for Halloween. My black hair is messed up with plastic spiders in. I have a fake blood cut across my neck with blood dripping.
Halloween party costume from a few years ago
I am wearing orange and black. I have a plastic spider on my shoulder and a black and orange light up house style hat.
Me with a house on my head and a spider friend awaiting afternoon tea.

I even went to a Halloween themed afternoon tea last year.

Looking down at the top tier of a cake stand onto sweet treats. There is a pumpkin profiterole, a small glass with a chocolate mousse and RIP headstone, a macaron with a ghost made of icing.
Spooky afternoon tea treats

It will be Guy Fawkes Night soon. Or Fireworks Night as it now seems to be called. I like that, fireworks are pretty. I’m not too keen on the cold though as we’ve discussed, I freeze fast. So this year I’ll be watching them from a rooftop and drinking mulled stuff. I love mulled stuff too. I like most seasonal food and drink. I like most food and drink. Stay tuned to find out about the rooftop. 

Those dark nights are looming. I’m alright if I’m already out, but the effort of leaving the house when it’s dark outside. Nope. What better excuse to light a few candles though (spiced ones of course), I have a drawer full and that’s no lie, and binge watch the telly with a glass of rosé?!

A glass of rosé wine with a straw. You photo is taken in candlelight and the wine is glowing.
Candlelit wine

The changes in weather means oncoming colds. A cold for me usually means a cough, and when you have a cough poorer than a cat (because lungs needs muscles too), a chest infection is imminent. 

Theres the flu, everyone is talking about flu. You must get your jab. Well I can’t get a flu jab for love nor money at the moment. Apparently I was left off the doctor surgery’s ‘vulnerable’ list, so can’t attend the clinic. Ha. So I ask for an appointment. You can’t make an appointment for the flu jab, oh no. But there’s another clinic in November, they’ll ask about putting me on the vulnerable list for that. I might have flu by then. 

So off to my local pharmacy I went. You can get the jab in pharmacies now you know. Only they haven’t got stock, and they don’t know when they will. There’s a shortage of flu jabs you know. I do now.

Have I mentioned wheeling through crispy fallen leaves? I like that.

So mostly what I don’t like about autumn is the weather, and I mostly don’t like that because of my SMA. So autumn and I could be like this… Cue fingers crossed gesture. 

Published by Gemma - Wheelescapades

Whenever friends and I are out we always end up discussing, critiquing, analysing where we are and what we are doing. From talking about the food we are eating, the soap in the toilets, the awful bus journey to our destination, anything and everything we encounter. Because of my disability (SMA type2) many of the situations we get into, issues we discuss and laughs we have can be due to wheelchair access. Often me getting stuck in mud or shingle, or me making my way through the most cram packed shop you can imagine, wondering how I am ever going to find the way out again! I aim to write a blog that describes these dramas, tells stories of our laughs, adventures and frustrations, while giving detailed information on accessibility and wheelchair access. Also I like tea. ALOT. The quality of the tea often determines my return just as much as the accessibility.

57 thoughts on “My Love Hate Relationship With Autumn”

  1. Battery heated scarf? I’ll be looking into that. I’m prone to chestiness and as soon as September hits, my scarf goes on.
    Autumn is my favourite month! I don’t mind the cold too much. Its the dampness of the winter months I don’t like.
    You look great fun to be with at a party Gemma. Your costumes are brilliant!

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  2. I am not a Halloween person, never been as never used to this Halloween stuff when I was a kiddo. Only since we moved to Canada did it really become something and even then as our own children were not that young anymore, we never seemed to have caught the Halloween bug. Now it’s only me and the husband at home and for sure I am not gonna start with Halloween now. Enjoy it all Halloween lovers and have fun.
    I have read, and RT your post. Thanks for sharing on Blog & Inspire Facebook group.

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    1. Oh it really has been chilly lately! I’m on two hot water bottles during the night to keep warm. That’s with the heating on.
      We should both invest in a heated scarf!

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  16. Fingetless arms gloves but warmer, they look cool but feel warm. I really like Autumn but not Halloween. As for
    pumpkins in coffee and buns and smelly candles … they can go where Summer did for me. Only good for archery practice … must try an Archery workshop sometime. 🤣😂😃

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    1. Hehehe! Don’t diss the pumpkin.
      Yes I did once have some arm warmer things, they were a little helpful. I must try using them again this autumn/winter. Especially for the annual Bury Fair!

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  20. I hear you on the cold. To my tight muscles, it is pure pain. And the bundlesum coats don’t exactly match the fit of my custom chair of my non-custom body. But the fall brings welcome cool and manageable sunlight, soft sweaters, and ads for pumpkin spice everything. (I like the ads, not so fond of the pumpkin. lol)

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  21. I love your Halloween outfits, absolutely fabulous, and I am totally with you on the love of ponchos. You can get proper outdoor pursuits style ponchos now which are a bit warmer and rainproof – which is good, and have a look at Turtle Doves, they do recycled cashmere fingerless gloves, nice and warm, but fine so that you done have restricted mobility – actually they are good for ponchos too thinking about it. Their cashmere is all from recycled jumpers which is cool. My sis suffers from fibro and gets really cold hands, I got her a pair of these a few years ago and she swears by them.

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  22. Great post.

    Fab costumes! 🕸🕷Also, I love ANYTHING pumpkin/pumpkin spice-related. Haters gonna hate (but they’re wrong 😜).

    I find autumn much easier than summer because of so much sensory stuff. Summer seems to be hard for a lot of autistics (although that’s a generalisation of course) – I find it extremely difficult to get any clothes that work for me in summer and don’t cling, scratch, rub or stick. I sweat a lot, and the feel of sweat on my skin is something I seriously struggle with. The sun is far too bright. There are more people being loud outdoors. More crowds. But it also depends on what I’m doing – I still love being outdoors. Shady green spaces and anywhere near water are wonderful.

    I’m not great with extremes of temperature – too hot or too cold and I’m grumpy, exhausted, and in pain. Either really cold or really hot temperatures tend to make my skin itch (I call it “flesh creep” – it’s a very particular type of itch that feels like my skin is crawling. I keep wondering whether I have some mast cell issues going on, but I have too much other stuff on my plate to deal with that at the moment).

    I also struggle with really heavy knitwear – mainly because of texture. I like the feel of certain types of pressure (another autistic thing), but wool is something I just can’t wear. Such a shame when there’s so much pretty knitted stuff about. Oh well.

    I lose feeling in my fingers and toes when it’s really cold, even with gloves. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for you when you can’t actually control your sole mode of movement/transport because your hands are so freezing.

    But I LOVE autumn colours, Halloween, fireworks, the golden quality of the sunlight, and festive food and drink. And crunchy, scrunchy autumn leaves on the ground. Wonderful.

    That’s ridiculous about the flu jab. Stuff like that makes me very angry – I hope you manage to get one soon. x

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    1. Hi fellow pumpkin spice lover! We will stick together.
      I hadn’t thought about how the overload of summer could affect people, it’s definitely a lot brighter, busy, and more noisy. I can see how this might be difficult for some. Thank you for sharing.
      I finally got my flu jab yesterday!

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      1. 🎃☺️👋🏼

        I’m so glad to hear you got your flu jab – that must be such a relief!

        It’s funny how the seasons affect different people in different ways. But like you, I can always take some pleasure from each of the seasons, even when there are challenges.

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  23. I know what you mean I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with autumn too. I also love the fashion the rusty colours, the layering, cosy knits etc. I don’t enjoy the dark mornings and nights though I know I am going to miss the sun. I also don’t enjoy the ever-changing temperamental weather – do I need a big coat scarf etc or just a light jacket? Make up your mind!

    Rachael https://rachaelstray.com/

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  24. I can totally relate to all of this. I love the hot weather we have had over the summer, and I can see it getting gloomy and much colder. Definitely like the knitwear and comfy clothes, but I want summer back haha! Love the Halloween pics!

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    1. I’m not good with actual spiders, they do freak me out. I’m ok with plastic ones though. Plus he was sewn snuggly onto my top, no escaping!
      Today’s weather has been so warm again.

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  26. Ohhhhhh I am so with you on the thick jumper front. I cant stand feeling like the material is too thick either. Love your costumes, who dont love a house on their head…. Oh and hello, Autumn themed afternoon tea? Yep, get in my belly! Hope you feel well and no colds this autumn my lovely, I will get the cold for you, I dot mind xxx

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    1. I’m glad you like the descriptions, were they read ok via screen reader? I’m trying to make my blog more accessible to all, so welcome any tips and ideas.
      We did have it quite hot this year! I wouldn’t have coped with it forever but I did enjoy it while it lasted. And I bought a fan for the first time!

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