Amid all the over-commercialised hype surrounding Halloween it is easy to forget that the origins of this festival lie in the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain. Midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice it marked the end of the harvest and a time to prepare for the colder months of the year.
Our own circadian rhythms should slow down too after the frenetic pace of long summer days. Nature is also getting its house in order to survive the darker months ahead.
Leaves have already faded and the trees have finished their job of food production with timber growth ceased after a spring and summer of remarkable productivity.
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