I've always hated autumn. Some of it is due to that end of summer thing. The September back-to-school feel that is celebrated in all the shop windows. Then there are the darkening evenings and the piles of slimy leaves that soon litter all the pavements.So generally it's not a time of year I like.
But this year it has been a little different. I'm not sure if it's the dry spell we had in September (which has recently been replaced by rain, though it is still mild) or the effects of having a proper summer (with sunshine and temperatures in the twenties, for once) but I've not found this autumn depressing at all. It could be a mixture of these factors but I think there is also something else.
I've recently started a photography course so, whatever the weather, I've spent a fair amount of time outside. Even on wet days I drag my DSLR out with its old lenses and fire off a few dozen shots. Close ups seem to be the most fun.
So maybe that's it. Autumn is a time of subtle colours and changing light. And through a camera it all looks rather amazing.