10 signs that winter is coming

1 Women in tights Legs that, just a week ago, were bronzed and bare – or pale and goose-pimpled – are disappearing, swathed in 40-denier opaques. But look on the bright side: tights are a godsend if, like me, you needed weeks to pluck up the courage to get your legs out in the first place. 2 Rows over whether it's too early to put the heating on He's feeling the chill, so reaches for the thermostat; she points out that he's only wearing a T-shirt. 3 Umbrellas Oh, for the gaily striped beach parasol under which you sipped piña coladas from coconuts just one short month ago! Now, you need a portable shelter from the ravages of rain and wind: though a combination of the two, particularly prevalent right now, renders the flimsy thing totally useless. 4 Putting away your summer clothes Farewell the playsuits and spaghetti-strap maxidresses of summer. All hail the mothballed cardigans and bobbly jumpers of winter. 5 Loads of good stuff on the telly Mad Men, This is England '86, The Inbetweeners, a fab new period drama on ITV with Maggie Smith: now there are plenty of reasons to scurry straight home from work. 6 Comfort food Salads, shmalads: suddenly you have a craving for something hot, satisfying and probably heart-stoppingly calorific. At least you don't have to put your swimsuit back on for another year. 7 Locking the door to your garden and realising you probably won't open it again for six months The green-fingered may shudder, but the rest of us have found that sausage dog-shaped draught excluder and welded it to the bottom of the back door. 8 The reappearance of boots, and the disappearance of sandals No more will your gold-painted toenails peep out fetchingly from your gladiators: it's time for the return of the knee-high boot. Or the ankle boot, or the open-toed shoe-boot (shoot?). 9 Putting the sun cream to the back of the cupboard Away with you, half-empty bottle of Ambre Solaire Factor 30, with your smell of sunshine and freedom, to gather dust behind the mouthwash and Bonjela. 10 The influx of wildlife into your home One minute you're swatting summer wasps, the next you're doing battle with an invasion of house-mice, spiders and other creepy-crawlies. Call in pest control, or take pity on them for just trying to keep warm: the choice is yours.