Autumn is most definitely my favourite season, and after the heat of this summer, I am looking forward to it more than ever. There’s nothing better than going for walks on crisp but sunny days, scuffing your feet through the reds and golds of fallen leaves. Then you can gather inside as the night slowly draws in and sit around the crackle of a real fire with a glass of red wine in hand.
The other thing I particularly enjoy about Autumn is the Harvest Festival Auction that our local pub holds every year. In the preceding weeks, villagers donate items which are to be auctioned and by the time the night of the event rolls around, there is a vast array of goods on offer.
Most of the village turns out for the auction and crams into the courtyard of the pub early, drinks in hand to get a good spot before the auction starts. It’s a great evening, but the only thing you have to be careful of is making any movement whatsoever when the auctioneer is in full flow. One year I found myself going home with a two-foot loaf of bread shaped like a bale of corn after I scratched my nose. It took us forever to get through it all.
If I’m being really honest though, I would probably have put in a bid for it anyway, as I do tend to ‘get into the spirit of things’. I like to think that it’s because the proceeds go to a good cause, it’s possibly more likely that it’s the fun atmosphere, and my husband will tell you its down to all the wine I’ve drunk.
Whatever you choose to believe, it’s a bit of fun, and at the end of the evening you pay your money and collect your goods. Depending on how much you’ve drunk it’s often a surprise as to whats waiting for you. We’ve brought home hampers, giant chilli plants, onions the size of our heads, carrots the length of our arms, and leeks the size of…let’s just say they’re big.
I’m now waiting with bated breath to see what we’ll end up with this year. Jon has told me not to get carried away, but short of strapping my arms down and cutting off my wine supply it’s not going to happen. I’d better make some freezer space for the bread.
Sherry x
