Rediscovering Wonder: Gather

As children, we seemed to return from every autumn walk with our pockets crammed full of something.

Conkers. Leaves. Acorns. Interesting stones. Anything that caught our eye.

Growing up on a farm, we might head out across the fields or down to the river, and if the ground had recently been ploughed, we'd keep an eye out for devil's toenails. They were a type of fossil we often found in the freshly turned earth, and finding one always felt like discovering buried treasure.

One of my strongest autumn memories is collecting colourful leaves and pressing them between sheets of tissue paper inside a large family atlas. Months later, we'd open it to look up somewhere on a map and rediscover them all over again.

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten these were here."

Some leaves kept their colour beautifully. Others faded to softer shades of brown. Some pressed perfectly flat, while others curled at the edges. Half the fun was seeing what had happened while we'd forgotten about them.

Autumn always seemed full of things worth bringing home.

Blackberries picked from the hedgerows. Apples waiting to become crumbles and pies. Pumpkins ready to be turned into soup. Conkers rattling around in coat pockets.

I still haven't grown out of it.

I still love an autumn walk. The cooler air. The smell of damp leaves. The satisfying crunch beneath my boots. I still look for conkers every year and bring them home. There are usually a few dotted around the house and a handful in the shop too.

A few years ago, while travelling in Canada in the autumn, I remember being ridiculously excited to find a real Canadian maple leaf. It ended up pressed inside my travel journal, where it remains to this day.

This is one of the reasons I love October.

The leaves are turning. The mornings are cooler. Soup starts appearing on the menu again. I find myself reaching for a coat before heading out for a walk.

It's the time of year for conkers in coat pockets, muddy boots by the door, and favourite crumble recipes dug out from the back of the drawer.

This October, I'll still be coming home with my pockets crammed full of conkers.

I'll still be stopping to admire particularly beautiful autumn leaves.

I'll still be putting the kettle on and emptying my pockets onto the kitchen table when I get home.

Autumn still feels full of things worth bringing home.

What will you bring home this autumn?