September Field Notes

Mrs Crabby Apple | a thousand shades of gold and blush

September has felt full of emotions and full of fruit. A glut on both counts. So many birthdays, so many memorials, so many apples. And a new year. The sad and the happy. With that comes the eternal question, how to process both at the same time? Sometimes conflicting anniversaries on the same day. I’m asking for myself, as well as a friend.

In nature, September is falling seeds, cooling soil and the descent into winter. And it’s also stumbling across cartoon fruit that looks like it came from Snow White. None of the photos are edited—I can’t fathom how nature made these colours - luminous pink in some cases.

This September’s full Harvest Moon has been large and bright. A welcome distraction from the clouds and cold rolling in. I remember conversations from the summer with the optimistic refrain of “September is always lovely.” A surefire jinx if ever I’ve heard one. I don’t think I’ve ever dug out my blankets so early in the season.

Still, the month has looked picture perfect. And for the first time since the UK heatwave this summer, I’ve switched the oven on and baked cake and crumble.

The crab apples are out in full too. I have no idea what to do with them or how to cook them into something edible, but they look so pretty with their golden hue.

Soon it will be October: my second favourite month, after May.