Ep27 Falling for Autumn: Woolly Hats, Hedgehogs & Hearty Soups

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit embrace the shift into autumn and ask what there is to enjoy about the season as the days get shorter and the temperature drops.

We begin with Keats’s Ode to Autumn, before moving into cosy knits, woolly hats, burnt-orange colours and the small rituals that make autumn feel comforting. Ranjit reflects on how the season looks with colour deficiency, while we also talk openly about the darker side of the darker months, including winter blues and the things that can help us cope.

Along the way, we chat about gardening, an unexpected hedgehog visitor, childhood nature tables, slow-cooked soups and one particularly disappointing bowl of watery custard on a P&O cruise.

A warm, funny and reflective episode about finding comfort in the season, noticing the small things, and perhaps learning to fall for autumn after all.

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Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:30 Reading of Keats's Ode to Autumn

00:52 Why autumn, and how it's arriving

01:42 Autumn fashion: layers, knits, scarves and colours

02:53 Hat hair and Sundari's vintage woolly hats

04:06 Ranjit on seeing autumn colours with colour deficiency

05:38 Crisp walks, Suzy the dog and Highbury Park

06:45 Autumn as permission to slow down

08:48 The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Sundari's first autumn in the UK

10:36 Coping with the winter blues: daylight, light boxes and connection

12:15 Students and newcomers facing their first cold UK autumn

14:16 Autumn gardening: bulbs, tulips and leaving things for wildlife

16:26 Planning for spring and Ranjit's hedgehog visitor

17:20 Indoor bulbs: hyacinths and amaryllis

18:23 The school nature table and cosy autumn evenings

19:23 Autumn food: soups, stews and casseroles

21:17 The farmers' market price shock, and cooking at home

22:31 Autumn desserts and the custard debate

23:56 Warming drinks: hot chocolate, Horlicks and mulled wine

24:45 the case for loving autumn, and a teaser for the festivals episode

25:40 End