Autumn arrives!

Its October now and there is autumn in the air in the U.K. Low pressure accompanied by wind, lower temperatures and rain. It feels cold and windy, and winter seems near. Now is when we reach for those woolens and jumpers we stashed away in april/may.

Changing seasons means a need to adjust our food, clothing and lifestyle accordingly. This can be tricky because on one hand we need to be active, not so dressed, and awake but on the other, we just want to wrap up and hibernate.

My day in these autumn season usually starts very early as the hormones of dawn such as cortisol and adrenaline, following my circadian rhythm, start circulating to induce me to sit up and meditate . Later, Liam brings me latte and a sandwich before he is off to college. Liam, who is from Switzerland, is the newest addition to the Take 5 family clan preparing to study architecture soon.

Then, I have a cold shower to start the day, dry myself, then use a moisturising mix of almond oil and a few drops of orange, lemon or lavender oil for my hair and face, followed by dressing up in light and bright colours, and having a protein rich sandwich or my own home-made breakfast bar and warm tea to kick start the day, together with a zinc and vitamin b6 supplement. This helps to activate me, cook my curries for the day for Take 5, do shopping, socialise with customers, and other work and personal activities. Dinner is usually around 5-6 p.m which is usually a family affair with Rob, Liam, Ana and other members of the Take 5 clan downstairs at Take 5 as we are open in the evenings too. Usually this is followed by a nice dessert cooked by Matthew (he keeps feeding us with apple crumble) with warm custard cooked by me.

In the evenings, I bring closure to the day as it gets even colder by having a warm calming bath, followed by a moisturiser mix of almond oil mixed with drops of ylang ylang etc as this help to prepare the mind to relax for sleeping. A warm herbal tea of dandelion or nettle is ideal after this too. After a few more hours, it is usually time to fall asleep so the hormones of darkness such as melatonine can get started in producing more of themselves and repairing this biological human body machine. Chanting a mantra silently within, following the breathing movements of in and out quickly induces me into a baby like -like sleep state!

This is also the right time to be digging out thermal tshirts etc because thermals reduce the need to wear too many layers. Thermal socks help keep the feet warm too. During the day, try to fight the urge to wear dark jackets, dark tshirts or dark dresses if you are a lady. Instead, choose bright colours like white or pastels to match the day light. You can blend in darker clothes as the day darkens into night slowly.

At Take 5, this is when we start getting busy with student parties, christmas dinner bookings, etc. This means more shopping, more staff and more planning. We also start changing the decor to make Take 5 look more warm, and inviting.The menu starts having a range of warm healthy breakfasts and warm soups. This autumn I am planning to even have a medieval roast on some sundays. We saw this advertised at a pub in Cheltenham recently and this idea caught our fancy. We are also toying with the idea of a range of smoothies and milkshakes with modern names such as an emo milkshake, gothic milkshake etc hehe.

Apart from buying lattes and herbal teas at Take 5 and other coffee shops, its a really nice idea to know how to make your own cappucino or latte at home so do check on the recipe section of this site as I will be posting that soon. Also stock up on a small range of herbal teas to keep you warm and if you are middle aged or more, now is the time for your annual flu jab.

Enjoy a pleasant autumn!….. and get ready for winter!

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