The chill in the early morning air and the ripening blackberries tell me that my favourite time of year, autumn, is approaching. Despite leaving school thirty years ago, and having only occasional contact with schools (I mostly home educated), I still have a ‘new year’ feeling in September. I want new shoes (well, new versions of the shoes I always wear), new pens and pencils, some new books (which I have - thank you Audhd Painter and others!), maybe a nice brown leather satchel (why, oh why, do I not already have one?!).
These are always months of planning and reflection for me, perhaps because my birthday is later in the autumn. There are so many ways of marking the year and the changing seasons. Some that are more naturally on my horizon include: the school year (starting in September); the calendar year (starting in January); the UK tax year (starting on 6th April); the Anglican liturgical year (starting with Advent in late November, early December); the modern pagan new year (star…