Chestnuts

Despite the ever colder mornings and crisp sunshine that does not warm you up, the change of seasons has not quite registered with me. When I look out from my office window, I still see only green, even though the mountain peaks in the distance are getting a bit foggy.

But as I walked around Basel with my friend P., trying to ignore the biting cold and rain, I noticed a street vendor selling roasted chestnuts. That's when I knew that autumn is here for real, there is no mistaking the fact. The season of short days and comfort food is creeping in.

I love the smell and taste of roasted chestnuts. Somehow, when you roast them at home they are never as tasty as those you buy on the street, in a newspaper cone, but they are still delicious. Friends have told me that people here go to the forests and collect chestnuts at this time of the year, and that's something I would really like to do, especially with the boys.

We used to collect horse chestnuts in the Varosmajor park, on our way home from the kindergarten--bag after bag of them. The entire park was covered with conkers and Boris was keen not to leave a single one behind. We had tons of horse chestnuts all over our house, and there was nothing we could do with them, except make jewelry and toys, but I am a very very talentless person in handicraft department. Which is why this year I am looking forward to collecting something that is both aesthetically pleasing and edible. A winning combination.