Fall fairies

I love fall, but this year it has come a bit early for my liking. It's too soon to be getting up in the dark again and thinking of wearing long pants and sweaters.

It’s chilly in the mornings now — no more bare legs for me on my walk.

When the pears arrive at the market, I know that fall is well underway. I am always reluctant to eat the first one, thinking if I didn’t eat it,  perhaps I could hold off the season.

I guess the best thing is just to grin and bear it, see the light that shines through those autumn clouds. I believe there are fairies that help with just that kind of thing on dreary days.

Have you ever walked through an orchard on a dark day? If there is sun through the clouds, especially in the morning, it has a magical effect.

I walk with my chocolate Labrador, Ella, every morning through the trees, and this time of year the pears look like they have been lit from within.

It’s as if we are wandering through some secret pathway where the fairies have left the lanterns lit to guide us on our way. And if I eat one of those pears, the taste is magical too.

I do not remember the canned pears of my youth tasting anything like the ambrosia I am fortunate enough to sample most mornings in September at Rabbit Hollow.

You might be thinking I have been sampling fermented fruit, telling tales of fairies and magic.

How could I possibly know it is fairies at work, you ask? I know because their playful rings are everywhere of late.

You have at least heard of fairy rings, surely…

Do you have tiny mushrooms growing in your grass? I bet if you do, you will see the circular patterns in how they grow.

They grow that way as a result of the magical chants the fairies sing, dancing in their magic circle at night. It’s not just me who believes such a custom; this story has existed since the Middle Ages and is still told in some places.

Did anyone ever tell you why you should polish an apple when you pick it off a tree? That’s because you need to make sure you don’t eat too much fairy dust. 

It falls off as they fly by, playing their games in the dark. Too much fairy dust can make you giddy.

Some say that fairy rings can be dangerous places, not to be entered by non-magical folk. I have great respect for their work, and their magic. I don’t mean to upset their world, only to enjoy the sparkle.

It is said that the harvest of crops where fairy rings exist will be bountiful, so that must mean there is some good energy there.

I am hoping the fairies can clear the way for a bit more sunshine. I have tomatoes still to ripen, and plums to pick for jam, and tomatillos and peppers that want more time too.

I know the little creatures are dancing through the night, making every moment count, for when the geese fly south and the cold winds blow, they have to fly away too.

Jack Frost owns the winter season, and he only tolerates winter fairies with their skates when he is in town.

So perhaps I should embrace the fairy energy, enjoy my morning pears and frolic in the grass with my dog.

I wonder, what would happen if we danced in a circle?

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.