Forever Autumn

We have a big garden with lots of trees which subsequently means lots of fallen leaves at this time of year. 

Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward has always been one of my favourite hauntingly beautiful songs and these days it seems more poignant than ever.

This War of the Worlds classic has been given a makeover along with the rest of the score updated for a new generation with Gary Barlow taking a lead singing role of the narrator while Liam Neeson takes on the speaking narration originally immortalised by Richard Burton. Snippets I’ve heard of the new album on the radio are superb.

Whether it is because the Gary Barlow version of the song is being played a lot on radio two or just because the song is embedded in my subconscious from years ago I don’t know but it is my ear worm song of the moment.

The summer sun is fading
As the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near
The winter winds will be much colder
Now you're not here

I watch the birds fly South
Across the autumn sky
And one by one they disappear
I wish that I was flying with them
Now you're not here

Like the sun through the trees
You came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away

Through autumns golden gown
We used to kick our way
You always loved this time of year
Those fallen leaves lay undisturbed now

'Cause you're not here

A gentle rain pours softly on my weary eyes
As if to hide a lonely tear
My life will be forever autumn

'Cause you're not here

At this time of year Andrew would get out the tractor complete with leaf sweeping attachment and process up and down the lawn, clearing the autumnal debris.

Last year oldest son and I devised our own method which worked but wasn’t the most effective. The sweeper wouldn’t turn fluidly, many years of neglected maintenance by Andrew the most likely cause and I never got round to giving it the proper dose of TLC getting it properly fixed.

While I was away I challenged oldest son who was staying with his uncle for the week to have a look at sweeping up one dry day.

One look at the sweeper and they realised it wasn’t up to the job so it is now languishing in my brother-in-laws garage awaiting repair. It needs a bearing that oldest son was supposed to be researching on the internet!

As if it’s ever going to happen?

Once more I needed another solution, a new tailor made way of doing things that suits me and my capabilities.

My gardener came up trumps with the suggestions of a large push along sweeper.

Far better for the environment, the fuel need to power it is me and I function well on tea and biscuits, much cheaper than diesel.

It also has the added advantage of being lighter. This year we have had a heck of a lot of rain, the ground is more sodden than ever before. A heavy piece of machinery would quickly churn up my lawn and ruin it. It may not a lawn of Wimbledon standard or Wembley quality of turf but that’s no reason to treat it poorly.

I can lightly skip across pushing the sweeper, collecting the dead leaves, leaving behind only dainty footprints and lush green grass. 

So I’m once more being a bit fanciful with my fairytale language but as I sweep I sing...

Those fallen leaves lay undisturbed now

'Cause you're not here.

...and despite the melancholy lyrics the task suddenly doesn’t seem so arduous.