It is the time of year where all is change! Change as the school, college or university terms start and some are going to new places of education or even leaving home. Gone are careless holidays, now it is back to a routine. Change as you detect the first whiff of mustiness in the air on an early morning walk - when the days are getting shorter, yet, you can still delight in the colours of autumn glory and the fruitfulness of gardens and country verges.

You may have spent your holidays considering a different direction for your career or new ways of enlarging your horizons - through adult learning or by picking up a new or long-forgotten hobby? In the pages ahead, you will find lots of opportunities to pick up a foreign language, join a choir, start art or painting classes or a sport like badminton, cycling, rugby or yoga.

You could also be inspired by Rachel Tysoe, see page 40, who turned a hobby into a business venture with her coach trips, or read about The Pop-Up Deli who is now looking for gastronomists to help expand the business throughout the UK.

Food features too on pages 8-9, where you can read about the delightful new bistro and restaurant, Sage & Brooke, who puts emphasis on simple, local produce. Locally grown and raised produce is equally key as Thrapston Farmers’ Market celebrates its first anniversary, see page 42-43, and Kirsty Clarke of Waterloo Cottage Farm explains about her calves and the relevance of soil chromatography.

September and October mark the return of popular festivals, such as the Dahlia Festival at Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens, see page 66 and the stunning front cover, and the Market Harborough Arts Fresco, see page 26. Stanwick will be repeating its Scarecrow Festival, see page 44, Groove on the Green is back in Walgrave, see page 55-56, and Oundle re-introduces Music in Quiet Places, page 90, and the Festival of Literature, see page 80. Add to that, cinema and theatre performances, concerts, beer festivals and entertainment galore and you will not be short of things to do as the season changes.

Hillcrest House

Church Hill

Geddington

Northants

NN14 1AH

Tel: 01536 744700