Autumn is often seen as a harbinger of winter, but that certainly does not do it justice. Autumn has a lot to offer for those who take the time to look around and have the will to enjoy it. Not only wind, sun and rain, downpours and falling leaves, but also special autumn products, special light and beautiful sunsets. Autumn is simply a beautiful season that invites you to take long walks and enjoy the beautiful colors of forests and fields. Collecting nuts, chestnuts and looking for parts for making autumn pieces is also part of autumn. Autumn has many different opportunities to enjoy it.

Autumn captivates with its changing light

Autumn often arrives in stocking feet. However, you often notice it already at the end of August. The light becomes different. It is no longer so bright, as if there is a haze in the air, even though it is really blue. In the morning there is more and more dew on the grass and it already smells somewhat like autumn. It gives you a different feeling. A feeling of saying goodbye to summer, even though winter is still far away.

Enjoy the few summer days in autumn

After all, autumn can still bring real, warm summer days. Days when you can enjoy eating outside, walking and cycling. Days when it can sometimes even be completely silent and winter still seems very far away. The fact that the leaves then change color is more likely to be due to the drought than to the approaching autumn. However, this is clearly noticeable in the cooler evenings, when a jacket is no longer superfluous.

Falling leaves do not always have to be cleared away immediately

By October, however, it can no longer be disguised that winter is approaching. The leaves turn brilliant yellow, brown and red. They fall off one by one and when there is a strong wind they fly through the air in bunches, creating a beautiful spectacle. Then they cover the ground with a colorful blanket, which children can play with for hours. The most beautiful leaves can also be collected to use in an autumn piece.

Leave some leaves in the garden for the animals and plants

The animals in your garden will get through the winter more easily if you leave some leaves for them. Hedgehogs and other animals can hide in it when it freezes and insects will also thank you for it. The roots of the plants are also better protected against frost by the fallen leaves. Only the lawn must be cleared of leaves, because it can suffocate under a layer of fallen leaves.

An autumn walk gives you the opportunity to collect acorns, chestnuts and nuts

September and October are also collection months. In the forests and along the roads we find acorns, chestnuts and nuts. We can eat sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts. Collecting alone is a fun activity, especially if you go out with the whole family.

Chestnut puree can be made from chestnuts

Chestnuts can be made into a delicious puree and the nuts can be chopped or ground in cakes, bread, salads and other dishes. Chestnuts cannot be stored for long, but nuts can be stored all winter long after drying and can often be used afterwards.

Looking for pine cones to make an autumn piece

Collecting pine cones is a fun activity for the whole family. Pine cones are not only fun to use in autumn pieces and Christmas pieces, but they also spread a wonderful scent when they are burned in an open fire. They can therefore be stored well until the December holidays, for example. You can use the pine cones that you have not cut into pieces to burn them in the fireplace.

A fun discovery tour with children

Anyone who goes into the forest with the children in the autumn can make it a fun journey of discovery. Mushrooms emit a certain scent and you can often smell them before you see them. It is then up to the children to discover where they stand. However, do not let them touch the mushrooms, only look at them. After all, you don’t always know which mushrooms are poisonous and which are not.

The splendor and danger of the “gnome mushroom”

For example, the beautiful red and white fly agaric, which often has an extra appeal to children as a ‘gnome mushroom’, is poisonous and it is therefore wise to leave it alone. Point this out to the children and let them admire that beautiful mushroom, but immediately tell them why they should stay away from it. Explain to them that this mushroom also usually appears at the base of birch trees. That’s where they can usually be found.

Enjoy the cloudy skies and sunsets in autumn

Teach the children to look at the sky in the fall. On some days, autumn can bring wild cloudy skies that can inspire imaginations. The Netherlands is known for its beautiful cloudy skies. Also enjoy the often fantastic sunsets, which have a completely different atmosphere in autumn than in summer.

In autumn it gets dark earlier

Of course it also gets dark earlier. The days are getting shorter and the lights have to be turned on earlier and earlier in the evening, but that is not a negative thing either. The cozy time is coming with the warmth of homeliness and the holidays in December just around the corner. It will be cozy in the house again.

Candles and the fireplace

Candles and tea lights are lit, the fireplace is lit or the heating ensures a pleasant temperature in the house. Anyone who comes home from a fresh autumn walk will enjoy the pleasant warmth of the living room. In autumn, many people feel the need to make their home more pleasant with wonderfully warm blankets on the couch and soft pillows to pamper themselves with after work.

Beach walks in the fall

Autumn is also good for walks on the beach. Especially when there is a strong wind, it is wonderful to get a breath of fresh air. Of course, the wind on the beach acts like a sandblasting machine for the skin of the face, but this can probably be remedied at home with a soothing cream. However, a walk on the beach is a wonderful experience and the sea looks fantastic with all those white caps on the waves. Even in the evening and night, it is really something to experience at least once in your life.

Enjoy a very unique atmosphere

Autumn has its own atmosphere. Not only in the woods, but also in the parks and in your own garden. The summer flowers bloom less often, but the dahlias, autumn asters and chrysanthemums, together with the falling leaves, provide beautiful colors in gardens and parks. Every season has something enchanting. Also autumn.