The strange thing about the onset of Winter is not that it happens but the speed that it happens. I’ve been expecting it for the last few weeks but it’s been strangely warm and not at all Autumnal. But over the last couple of days I’ve really noticed a change however – the nights are drawing in (suddenly it’s pitch black when I get home), the temperature has dropped about 8C, I’m struggling to wake up in the mornings and I’m really tired all the time. Happens every year.

I know none of my ancestors hibernated but it seems like a good idea right about now. This time of year is a bit of a waste really, it’s cloudy and rainy all the time, it’s perpetually dark, the days are short and getting shorter and it’s just not what I think Autumn should be. I tend to picture crisp, clear mornings, leaves falling gracefully off the trees, people jogging across the park and their breath freezing, cold but not too cold and a good preparation for winter.

Instead it’s a howling gale (which this year means my hair gets messed up all the time), the leaves are stripped from the trees, the joggers are sitting at home watching TV and while it might not be too cold, I can’t tell because I’m just about getting blown over all the time.

What’s even stranger is that almost exactly 2 years ago I was thinking precisely these same thoughts. While the seasonal shifts appear to be metronomic in their frequency, I can’t make the same complaint about the lack of a summer. By all accounts it’s wasn’t bad this year. Not great, but still not bad. Added to that, 2 years ago I was starting to break out the wooly jumpers but not this year, it’s still not that cold. Global warming maybe? Well not if the Met Office has anything to do with it – they’re predicting a cold winter. I say bring it on! Anything’s better than Autumn…