Farewell Summer Sun

It seemed like it would last forever, with warm sunny days stretching into October, but inevitably autumn arrived and it seemed such a shock the other weekend when temperatures dropped to the average for this time of year and suddenly we have rainy windy days and darker evenings. How did that happen?

Everyone I've spoken to recently seems to have been taken by complete surprise that autumn has arrived, despite the fact that the leaves have been changing colour and falling along with the conkers which seem to be everywhere – a great bonus for me as I'm a firm believer that they keep spiders away if you put them near your doors and windows. Try it, it works. – It's as if everyone was so desperate to cling on to summer that they convinced themselves it would never end.

Normally I love autumn, but this year I've felt a bit sad at the demise of summer. Gone are my sunny morning strolls to school with my son and in their place are soggy, cold, dashes. The thought of the clocks going back fills me with dread – not least because the winder fell off my watch earlier this year, so I won't be able to change the time. – Because days get shorter and our lives seem to be spent in darkness. Handy if you're a vampire, but not if you love sunshine as I do.

So I decided to rethink this using Time Perspective (TP) – referred to this in a blog last Christmas, but to recap: TP is the way we naturally adapt to time; and research tells us that each of us does it differently, fitting into particular patterns. It's similar to the way each of us treats money differently e.g. both are spendable, saveable, and run out! Each of these patterns has its own pros and cons, some more than others, when it comes to happiness and wellbeing and they can become particularly pertinent as seasons change.

I wanted to change feeling sad about summer ending, so I decided to think about my favourite thing about the summer and make it "past positive". My favourite part of this summer was our first family holiday abroad. Seeing my son's excitement as he experienced his first flight and having some time together, just the three of us, with no work or school, was magical. Wonderful memories that make me smile and are most definitely positive.

So, how about right now? Sometimes it's hard to live in the moment, especially when it's cold and raining and you got soaked on the school run or commute, but the beautiful colours of the leaves on the trees and getting out my much loved knee-high boots, plus snuggly jumpers and cosy evenings in are some of my favourite things about autumn. I've loved collecting leaves and conkers and other autumnal bits and bobs for my son to take to school to make their autumn collages – but best of all will be seeing him with his new classmates performing in the school Harvest Assembly this week, because he's now in reception and he will be helping the nursery children with their part. So proud.

And the future? What is "future positive" for me? Counting down to Christmas as each celebration passes, Halloween will be fun this year as my son embarks on his first trick or treat trip with his friends, Bonfire night and an organised display is another favourite of mine and then, as early as I can get away with it, putting up the Christmas tree and fairy lights and visiting as many Christmas markets as I can before the big day with family and then the biggest and best thing about the festive season – my son's 5th birthday on the 26th December, when family and close friends gather and we have a great time. I can't believe it's been 5 years already!

We may be saying farewell to summer, but there is so much to look forward to. Take a moment to think about your favourite moments of the summer, what you love about autumn and what you're excited about throughout the winter and share them with us on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

The thing to remember is, spring will be here before you know it and summer will be hot on its tail... hopefully!

Well being