Fiery crimson
Jovial yellowy green
Mellow earthy brown.

Evergreen needles
Burning wood smells on the breeze
Clean, crisp nipping air.

Rainy dreary gray
Chilly toes in my damp shoes
Green leaves won’t let go

Misshapen pumpkins
A sad lack of candy corn
Hurry Sinter Klaas!

Autumn in Flanders is not the autumn of my childhood, that’s for damn sure.  I have read a few Flemish bloggers that don’t like autumn and I could never understand why.  Now I do.  Flanders gets so much rain and it seems like there is even more now.  Puddles and damp grey skies and nasty garden spider webs that are spun across the backdoor overnight.  The leaves don’t seem to change colors much; they are either bright green and clinging to the trees for dear life or dead and grey and lying in sopping heaps in the gutters.  From what I hear the holiday season really kicks into gear here on December 6th for Sinter Klaas.  Hopefully the lights and kerstmarkts and warm wine will make up for this decidedly bleh autumn weather.