Autumn: Take it or Leaf It (See what I did there?)

Take it: Hearty food. Shepherds pies, stews, warming soups.

Leaf it: Spending hours in the kitchen, sweating over vats of bubbling stew, soup and various mince dishes, only for kids to say they wanted chicken nuggets.

Take it: The morning school run. Bracing fresh air, ruddy pink cheeks on the kids, laughing and kicking fallen leaves.

Leaf it: The morning school run. Imminent threat of being knocked out by a prickly conker falling from trees above. Child kicking stealth dog turd hiding under said fallen leaves.

Take it: Yay! Get out the sandals, we’re having an Indian Summer!

Leaf it: Get out the sandals, we’re having an Indian Summer. Put away the sandals, it’s flipping freezing. Get out the sandals, put them away, get out the sandals… for goodness sake, I just want to wear my trainers.

Take it: English apples, pears, blackberries… all the joy of natures bounty.

Leaf it: Natures bounty. Fruit bowl full of wizened apples and glut of pears as hard as bowling balls. Feeling guilty and cross at all the rotten apples littering the garden and getting trodden through the house.

Take it: Christmas is coming!

Leaf it: Oh shit. Christmas is coming. Have mini panic attack in Pound Shop at sight of Advent Calendars, come home have more serious panic attack at distinct lack of stamps in Tesco saving stamp booklet.

Take it: Knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am not going to go out in public wearing a bikini anytime soon therefore can relax the diet and exercise routine.

Leaf it: The constant gnawing feeling that underneath extra layers of clothes, an extra layer of fat is forming. Plus the inevitably rubbish feeling that comes with another day passing without working out, and mixed feelings of enjoyment/resentment/guilt about that extra serving of crumble and custard.

Take it: Son number one looking especially cute in his brand new school uniform.

Leaf it: Son number one returning from school with school uniform covered in grass stains and repeatedly having to wash it. Realisation that “no iron” only valid when washed and line dried, not tumble dried to a crispy ball because of changeable weather. When I was a kid we wore the same skirt/trousers for a week. My mum had it easy.

Take it: Gusty winds blowing outside and feeling cosy and warm inside.

Leaf it: Battling gusty winds with the buggy, screaming child freaked out by waterproof bubble, sweating in a rain coat bought online, described as olive green only to arrive neon lime coloured, coming home to find hair not only blown out of neat ponytail but also full of static from damn lime coloured raincoat.

Take it: Not being attacked by wasps and bees when eating outside.

Leaf it: Getting complacent that danger of wasps and bees has now passed, finding two hornets in our bedroom ready to savage us as we sleep. Not eating outside because it’s flipping freezing.

Take it: The excitement of getting dressed up in hats and scarves for the rare treat of bonfire/fireworks night.

Leaf it: Fireworks starting in September and last through till January.

Take it:  Halloween, carving pumpkins, fancy dress parties, cute kids dressed up trick or treating at our door.

Leaf it: Having to hand out sweets to young adults not even bothered to dress up (unless you count a hoody and flesh tunnel) under the guise of trick or treating. Cheeky gits.

Take it: Winter coats, hats, scarves, a whole new wardrobe in fact.

Leaf it: The never ending quest for the perfect Winter coat, resulting in fifteen discarded specimens which aren’t quite right but cost hundreds of pounds over the years so can’t justify sending to charity shop, brought down from loft in October and returned in April, another year unworn and another few added to collection.

Take it: Spending every evening in front of the telly with a blanket over knees, drinking Ovaltine instead of Pinot Grigio, wearing slipper socks instead of sexy cork wedges.

Leaf it: Feeling like should really not enjoy slipper socks and Ovaltine quite so much.

What are your Autumn takes and leaves?