When I was about seven we were set a task at school that involved a scavenger hunt. We had to find lots of little things that were on a list. A leaf. A conker. A penny. To me, every little thing was a treasure and I gathered them studiously. Lining them up to gaze at them and revelling in their detail. Yesterday evening I set myself a similar challenge, to find little autumnal things on my way home. I realised what I had enjoyed so much all those years ago. The task slowed me down, made me look, kept me in the moment. It made me feel like a child again. And at home, I laid my treasures out before me and admired them like jewels. A beautiful autumnal gathering.