August Guide for Autumn Lovers  - A Slow Living Guide to Seasonal Transition

August border autumn - this sentence always gives me chills. The very last month before September, a prelude to our favourite time of the year. I know it’s popular to call August “Augtober” online, but I like to cherish this month for what it is - a month of harvest, golden fields, freshly baked bread, lengthening shadows, first fallen leaves, apples maturing in the orchards, preparing for the new school year… As we progress through the month, the signs of the coming Autumn become more obvious, but it’s the shift in ourselves that we can feel the most - deep inside, we know it’s time to begin closing up Summer affairs and become a little more serious about nesting and preparing for September, which draws closer with each passing week.

📅 Saturday, July 25th, 2026
5 weeks until Autumn!

August is one of those months that is perfect for slow living. A lot is happening in nature, so it gives us an occasion to notice. With the gardens in bloom, fresh fruits and golden evenings, we get a chance to express gratitude for all the simple joys. And the first signs of shifting seasons make us slow down to take a closer look. A first rusty fern, a fallen leaf, a tractor in the fields…

I love August for all the above, but I also struggle a lot with the hot weather. Do you know the meme about “let the potato rest for 5 minutes”?

That’s exactly how I feel during the hot weather, haha!  But knowing everything I know about August and determined to cherish every month of the year, I have found my way to turn August from “I’m too hot, I hate it” to a mix of “I’m in an episode of Gilmore Girls” and “I follow the old ways and honour harvest”. It works every year and actually made me truly love August, seeing it as a celebration of harvest, countryside, and rustic living and basically pre-Autumn. 

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Here is my personal August guide for Autumn lovers - 15 things to do for a slow, cosy month ahead. If any other ideas come to your mind, please share them in the comments for other readers!

1. Celebrate Lammas on the 1^st of August - the beginning of harvest. Simple ways to mark this festival include going out into nature, spotting work in the fields, baking bread, lighting a Lammas candle to honour the waning sun, and giving thanks for the abundance in your life.

2. Notice a subtle chill in the morning air. The popular Polish folk proverb “Od świętej Anki zimne wieczory i ranki” translates to “After St. Ann’s, cold dusks and dawns.” St Ann’s Day falls on the 26th of July and signals the end of Summer, with the first touches of Autumn chill in the night air.

3. Visit orchards. In August, many fruits are almost ready for harvest. Trees heavy with fruit and their scent make you realise how close Autumn is drawing.

4.  Bake something that bridges Summer and Autumn - eg. an apple crumble served with ice cream

5. Harvest what your garden gives you, or visit a pick-your-own farm and enjoy the hands-on tasks that have been known to our ancestors since the dawn of time.

6. Go on a foraging walk. I’m not very confident in foraging (especially mushrooms!), but I realised I don’t necessarily have to eat to enjoy this hobby. Go out in nature and look for wild cherry trees, blackberries,  blueberries, hazelnuts, and, after the rain, mushrooms. Finding them in nature is simply fun; you don’t need to actually forage for the fruits. Don’t worry, they won’t be wasted; birds, insects and other animals love eating them.

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7. Notice the maturing of the colour of leaves to a deep, dark shade of green at the height of summer.

8. Watch for early trees turning colours and first leaves falling to the ground. Sometimes it might be due to dry weather, but nevertheless, its nature lets go in preparation for Autumn. 

9. Watch for ferns turning shades of gold and rust. This is one of my favourite signs we are on the way to Autumn and something I love highlighting in my videos and photos!

10. Make jams, preserves and sauces. Even if you don’t own fruit trees or vegetable patches, you can still stock up your pantry for the coming Autumn and Winter. I like to make a batch of tomato pizza sauce using canned tomatoes and marmalade using Robertson's cut oranges (the recipe is literally on the can, and it's truly delicious)

11. Pay attention to dusk times and how slowly they arrive earlier each day. By the end of August, it will be getting dark just after 8 pm in the UK.

12. Shop for locally grown fruits and vegetables. You are supporting farmers and giving yourself the best nutrition from locally sourced ingredients. 

13. Visit Sunflower Farm and bring some home. For me, sunflowers represent a bridge between the height of Summer, harvest and early autumn.

14. Decorate your home for harvest: wheat, sunflowers, jam jars, vintage canisters, seasonal candles, squashes and anything else that makes you think of a rustic cottage or farmhouse surrounded by fields at harvest.

15. Embrace the “back-to-school” nostalgic vibe. I still remember the feeling of shopping for school books and clothes with my mum in late August. Here in the UK, children don’t need to buy school workbooks, but I like to visit a bookstore in the days leading up to September to keep that nostalgic vibe alive in my memory. 

I know August can be a difficult month, especially if you are an introverted person and don’t love the heat and humidity, but withiut the contrast of summer, autumn wouldn’t feel so wonderful. August is full of cosy magic: balmy evenings, golden fields, trees heavy with fruit in orchards. Make the most of it - be in nature, take in the sunshine, cook and bake using seasonal produce before Autumn rain and cold will usher us home again, and it will be time to hunker down in our cosy corners. 

Until next week
Adriana x