An ode to September

september autumn fall

I love September. I know that for a lot of people it signifies the end of summer, and brings with it a dread of cold nights, rainy, windy afternoons and a severe lack of vitamin D.

But for me, September, and the changing of the season, is filled with excitement and nostalgia and a surge of comfortable happiness.

As a kid I always relished in that back to school vibe - spending my summer creating a collection of the best smelly gel pens in WH Smiths and buying the jazziest wrapping paper to back my books in (how fun was backing books by the way?! My mum was a pro). I always loved that September had the same "new start" feeling as January did, and with my new dolly shoes and envy-inspiring stationery collection I always felt ready to take on the world.

This feeling continued right the way through to the end of uni - each new year provided a fresh start. I could promise yourself that this would be the year that I would start taking notes properly, or that I'd join that society I'd been thinking about or that maybe  I'd cut down my midweek nights out from 5 to 3. Whatever it was, a fresh academic year always brought with it a renewed sense of purpose and optimism.

Writing this is making me realise that I really miss the cyclical nature of education - when you enter the world of work and office life, it is so much easier to let the months run away with you and the changing of the seasons can move past without you noticing (or buying a new notebook to celebrate).

But I think the real reason that I LOVE this month is that so many of the great things in my life have happened in September. Things that fill me with nostalgia and happiness when the air starts to turn that little bit colder and the nights start to draw in.

September was when I started college and first met my two best friends. I moved to Leeds way back in September 2008, full of butterflies and nerves as I settled in to my uni halls of residence (who knew I'd still be here 7 years later?!). Sam and I had our first proper date in September 5 years ago. And I started my first "proper job", the one that set me up for all of the great jobs that have come since, in this month too. When I think about it, no other month on the calendar holds as many huge life milestones for me as September does.

So is it any wonder that I love it? You could say that so far in my life September has been my lucky month. It's brought me everything that is important to me in my day to day life - great relationships, a fulfilling career and a home that I love. And this year, nearly two weeks of September will be filled with our trip to Iceland and New York. Not a bad way to celebrate my favourite month, hey?