The smell of autumn

Today was a perfect autumn day, sunny, windy, cold, crisp... I didn't feel like going to work and I could have stayed out all day, only going in pubs for a quick drink or a lunch, and then out again. Sadly I had to go to work.  I know I can't complain. Still, there are days like this one where I feel like a bear and think I should just prepare to hibernate.

But what I noticed today was the smell of autumn. Well, my brother sort of lead me to it as he mentioned it on his Facebook Wall, saying that he loves it. I often mention here the fiery colours of autumn, but rarely its smells. It is usually more difficult to describe. Autumn has a distinctive smell, something ripe and cold and often dry. It smells of the coming winter, of fruits, of harvest, of moulding stuff, yet it does not smell of decay. It is something strong yet soothing. Springtime often smells rotten, especially in the beginning, especially in Northern countries like my home, where everything that had been under meters of snow start rotting in the open. Summer can smell nice, but it is often too agressive. There is a sweetness in the smell of autumn, even when the cold wind prickles the skin. And after a walk in the autumn air, you can still smell in on your clothes. Bliss.