Opinion

Lynette Fay: Roll on the darker evenings

As for Bond, he can be as shaken and not stirred as he likes, I have never watched a James Bond film in my life and I don't intend to start now, no matter how blue and enticing the eyes of Daniel Craig are

Lynette Fay

Lynette Fay

Lynette is an award winning presenter and producer, working in television and radio. Hailing from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, she is a weekly columnist with The Irish News.

James Bond returns to cinemas this week, with Daniel Craig - pictured with Ana de Armas as Paloma - making his final outing as 007 in No Time To Die. Lynette won't be joining the queue though...
James Bond returns to cinemas this week, with Daniel Craig - pictured with Ana de Armas as Paloma - making his final outing as 007 in No Time To Die. Lynette won't be joining the queue though... James Bond returns to cinemas this week, with Daniel Craig - pictured with Ana de Armas as Paloma - making his final outing as 007 in No Time To Die. Lynette won't be joining the queue though...

THE evenings are closing in, and some shops have even dared to start stocking Christmas decorations. Despite my inner protestation, I might have made a purchase or two because, you know, the 'Nollaig Shona' cushions will be sold out the next time I make it to the shops.

After the Indian summer we had earlier in the month, there is a nip in the air, and just like that, Hallowe'en is five weeks away.

It's harvest time, but not just for the farmers. This time of year presents an opportunity for each one of us to rid our lives of things that aren't serving us well.

As the wheel of the year turns, I tune in to what The Dingle Druid, Julí Ní Mhaoileoin has to say. She has a great Instagram page which is worth following.

I spoke to her on my radio show last week, and she told me how the harvest moon is the closest to the autumn equinox which is a point of balance. Everything is calling for us to slow down and prepare for winter, for the darkness and to go within. Isn't that what happened at the height of the pandemic when we were in lockdown?

Many of us enjoyed the slower pace of life that was forced upon us. Some have maintained that pace, others have been sucked back into a busy lifestyle.

We have been conditioned to believe that if we are busy, we are important.

I bought into that idea once upon a time, but a slower pace allows more time to focus, to appreciate and to evaluate.

The wheel of the year, as Julí sees it, has an integral connection to nature; the elements, flowers, trees, fruit, food.

Nowadays, in terms of food, we need everything in our lives at all times. We eat the same food all the time because it is readily available on supermarket shelves.

Chef Paula McIntyre is a champion of local produce. Last week on her excellent BBC series Paula McIntyre's Hamely Kitchen, she once again stressed that we should eat food when it is in season.

Fresh apple crumble made with Armagh apples - served with cold custard - is a go-to comfort food in Lynette's house
Fresh apple crumble made with Armagh apples - served with cold custard - is a go-to comfort food in Lynette's house Fresh apple crumble made with Armagh apples - served with cold custard - is a go-to comfort food in Lynette's house

A few years ago I heard her compare out of season strawberries to turnips. She wasn't wrong. We are now in apple season, and fresh apple crumble made with in season Armagh apples has long been a favourite comfort food in our house. (Served with cold custard. Always cold custard.)

As we rightly try to amend our lifestyles to help stop climate change, I find that both Paula and Julí talk a lot of sense. Buy food that is in season and get back in touch with nature. Julí also told me that we should "howl at the moon" and let go of our frustration and anxiety. If you have ever looked up at the night sky, and upon seeing a full moon, a particular mood or feeling made sense, the howling might not seem like such a mad idea.

****

WITH the evenings closing in, the need for good solid TV entertainment becomes acute. There is much excitement in our house about a certain Spider-Man film - starring Tom Holland, whoever he is. This all had to be explained to me.

The generation gap was flipped on its head on the subject of Top Gun and the return of Maverick and Iceman. I might even treat myself to a cinema visit for that one. As for Bond, he can be as shaken and not stirred as he likes, I have never watched a James Bond film in my life and I don't intend to start now, no matter how blue and enticing the eyes of Daniel Craig are to millions of others.

I intend to become reacquainted with my couch over the next few months. There is no shortage of brilliant TV series to engage with and get lost in. I am usually a Strictly fan, but I haven't been bitten by the bug just yet this year. I'm not sure if I want to invest my hard-earned free time on a Saturday watching the much-loved series.

Roll on the return of the dysfunctional billionaire Roy family in the hotly anticipated third series of Succession. For now, Season 2 of The Morning Show is giving me a weekly appointment with the couch. Roll on the darker evenings.