Autumn in UK

Colourful autumn foliage: Lovely hue of the maple

I had a date with nature last weekend. What made it so special was the season. Autumn, the third season of the year, has set in and the people here, as always, have started welcoming it gleefully. Irrespective of the age group people start going places to watch the colours splashed by the nature on the trees. We were on a visit to Westonbirt, a wonderful botanical garden spanning an area of 600 acres with nearly 18,000 trees in it. You can see trees planted from the year 1829 till the present day. Autumn – with all its vibrant colours- adds an incisive beauty to it. Especially, the maple leaves (sorry I can’t remember its botanical name) change their colour to lovely yellow and orange.We took a lazy walk in the garden admiring the landscape.

Autumn has always had its own distinct charm. The vivid garden evoked several thoughts in me…

Although autumn signifies ageing and it is the season when leaves start withering and eventually drop off, there is still a sort of dignity, nobility and  glory attached to it. In God’s creation every stage and form of life is eventful and exuberant, death is not an exception to it. Looking at these trees drenched in flaming colors of orange and yellow, you’ll agree that death too has grandeur in it. I was spellbound looking at the incessant creativity of God.I think the yardstick to measure this is by keenly watching the nature. Autumn in UK is vivacious and so are the old people here who are in the autumn of their age, just as colourful and lively as the trees. They seem to enjoy every moment, keep visiting places, merry around and live life to the fullest. This is in stark contrast to what we see in India, where people live in some sort of solitary confinement, punishing themselves, in their old age. Perhaps the trees in India are so symbolic of this fact, and this is the reason the trees in India don’t change their colours in autumn…

I had to cut down all these thoughts, as the place was vast and there was a long distance to be covered walking in a temperature as low as 3 degree centigrade. With my legs shivering more and more and body quivering to the icy gusts of winds, I came out of the garden for a cup of hot Indian coffee.