It’s November and we’re approaching the final phase of autumn in the South Okanagan. The deciduous trees are all in various stages of transition. Some are just starting to turn yellow, orange and red while others are already stripped of their lovely foliage. Almost every morning I wake to cloudy skies; these low lying “valley clouds” are a regular phenomena during the colder months of the year. Because it is often rainy, windy and cold my children are less inclined to go outdoors and I must admit to feeling the same way. This reluctance means I need to be extra purposeful about getting my little family outside.

Lately we’ve been staying closer to home, even exploring nature in our own backyard. It can be surprising how many interesting things you can see and do in a backyard during autumn. We have a tall maple tree behind our home that offers us piles of colourful leaves to jump into and throw around. Even our garden, while getting sleepy, is still showing signs of life. Our alpine strawberries are blooming and producing little berries for us to snack on. My younger children enjoy collecting pill bugs and mushrooms while my eldest and I rake up leaves to throw them at each other.

As the month of November lumbers on we will be joining Mud Puddles to Meteors for #FallOutside2016. Dawn is offering thirty days of motivation to get outdoors during the chilly month of November and I think that it’s a fabulous idea! For more information check out the Fall Outside 2016 Facebook Page and blog post. Or Sign-Up Here.