Crisp and Crunchy Autumn and the Beauty of Youth.

I love Autumn, even though it is getting colder I love the fresh brisk mornings when the air smells clean and the dew is heavy on the lawn. This morning there was an amazing sunrise. Ok I know red in the morning is a shepherds warning so it means rain is on the way but it was gorgeous, the whole sky was this glorious mash up of orange and red and pink and bruisey purple. I stood on my back deck with my cup of tea and breathed in the cool fresh morning air and it made me feel so good and alive and grateful. I love the colours of autumn and this morning they seemed to be especially vivid the green grass was ludicrisly green and the colours coming through on the trees seemed to almost glow. Natures last big display before it rests for a while and sleeps.

On my drive home there is a spot where liquid ambers (trees) line both sides of the road and at the moment they are all colours of amber, red, rust and yellow. Every autumn I say to myself I must stop the car and take a picture of these trees because they are something I look forward to seeing on my drive home after work before it gets too dark. They are surrounded by paddocks and hills and they are a special spot that never fails to delight, even in spring when they sprout with all kinds of lime green of new spring growth. This year I might just take that photo.

In my new job I have my own office and I look out onto a grassy area of the faculty and there is a lovely big gingko tree with its fan shaped leaves just outside the window. It's kinda a nice view I think. I even like it at recess when the students are out lounging on the grass talking and throwing or kicking a ball around. It doesnt interupt the view it adds to it. Watching them laughing, talking, holding hands and enjoying their lives before the grind of the realities of adulthood set in makes me smile, they really havent a care in the world except their next assignment or exam and their friends.

Anyway above is a picture from my office window you can see the tree and the grassy knoll as I call it and the business faculty building. Every morning I come in and open my old window (the building is over 100 years old) and let the fresh morning air in for a while. We are not supposed to have windows open as they have started the boilers up to heat the classrooms and offices around campus but I hate stuffy rooms and I love fresh air so until I get growled at by faculty maintenance I will sneak a few hours of fresh autumn air while I can because soon enough the rain will be here and it will be too cold and wet to open windows and the view will change yet again. We dont get snow here in Auckland but I wish we did, imagine that view capped with snow, it would be so pretty. The only snow I see is the man made stuff when I go to the indoor skiiing and boarding place.

Anyway as you can probably tell I am in a great place right now and I really do appreciate what I have and that I am here to enjoy it, and that I have people to share it with.

Happy Autumn to all in the southern hemisphere and to the northerners happy spring time.