# 🍁 I’m So Glad I Live in a World Where There Are Octobers πŸ‚ Beautiful Autumn English Listening Practice An episode of [Learn English Fast! English Snacks with Amber - Short Lessons to Speak English Like a Native](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1816417586), 5 Oct 2026, 11 min. Audio: https://content.rss.com/episodes/328960/3207520/english-snacks-episode-01-the-realm-of-possibility/2026_10_05_07_34_29_6845c484-cd12-49ff-b4d4-4c0b6f615f96.mp3 Hello and welcome to English Snacks! I'm Amber, your English teacher and native English speaker from Australia, now living in the French countryside. October is my favourite time of year. The mornings are cooler, the light is golden, the leaves are changing, and I find myself wanting to drink tea, read books and slow down a little. In this episode, I'm taking you with me into my October. We'll meet Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, enjoy some beautiful poetry, learn natural English vocabulary for autumn and cool weather, and finish with shadowing practice to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. This is a gentle English listening lesson for intermediate ESL learners (B1–B2) who want to understand natural English, build vocabulary and speak more confidently. 🍁 In this episode, you'll learn useful autumn English: β€’ a nip in the air β€” a small feeling of cold in the air β€’ crisp β€” pleasantly cool and fresh β€’ misty β€” containing a light fog β€’ to bundle up β€” to put on warm clothes or layers β€’ to rustle β€” to make a soft, crackling sound β€’ cosy/cozy β€” warm, comfortable and relaxing β€’ hushed β€” very quiet and still β€’ mild β€” pleasantly warm or not too cold β€’ to savour/savor β€” to enjoy something slowly and fully You'll hear natural sentences such as: πŸ‚ β€œThere's a nip in the air.” πŸ‚ β€œI love the crisp, misty mornings.” πŸ“š English through literature I'll introduce you to Anne Shirley, the imaginative heroine of L. M. Montgomery's classic novel Anne of Green Gables, and we'll explore why Anne loves October so much. We'll also hear a few beautiful words from poets Robert Frost and Helen Hunt Jackson, and discover how simple English can create beautiful pictures. 🎧 Shadowing practice At the end of the episode, we'll practise together. I'll say several sentences and you can repeat after me, copying my rhythm and intonation. Shadowing is a wonderful way to move beyond simply understanding English and start making your spoken English sound more natural. 🌿 Your English challenge This week, look out of your window or step outside and find one thing about October that makes you smile. It could be a colour, smell, sound, the weatherβ€”or even something you're eating. Then say: β€œI'm so glad for…” For example: 🍁 β€œI'm so glad for the golden light.” πŸŽƒ β€œI'm so glad for pumpkin soup.” β˜• β€œI'm so glad for crisp mornings.” Try making your own sentence and saying it aloud. πŸ’› About English Snacks English Snacks is a short, gentle English podcast for intermediate ESL learners who want to improve their listening, vocabulary, pronunciation and everyday spoken English. Listen slowly, listen again, shadow with me, and let your English grow one little snack at a time. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to English Snacks so you never miss a new lesson. Come hungry for knowledge. πŸ‚ #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishListeningPractice #ESL #EnglishPodcast #IntermediateEnglish #EnglishVocabulary #SpokenEnglish #EnglishPronunciation #EnglishShadowing #AutumnEnglish #AutumnVocabulary #B1English #B2English #AnneOfGreenGables ## Transcript [0:00] Hello and welcome to English Snacks. I'm Amber. [0:05] It's October now and I have to tell you it's [0:09] my favourite time of the year. It wasn't always [0:14] the case but I have found since living in Europe [0:18] that I've come to appreciate autumn the most. [0:24] The mornings are cooler, the light is gentle [0:28] and golden and I'm back to drinking tea and reading [0:33] books. Today's episode is a little love letter [0:39] to October. We'll meet a famous girl from a famous [0:44] book, read some lines of beautiful poetry, and [0:49] learn some lovely words for autumn weather. Then [0:54] we can practice saying them together. Ready? [0:58] Let's begin with a character called Anne. Anne [1:03] Shirley is the heroine of Anne of Green Gables, [1:09] a classic novel written by the Canadian writer [1:14] L. M. Montgomery. Anne is a young girl with red [1:20] hair, a big imagination and a deep love of nature. [1:26] She notices everything, the trees, the sky, the [1:33] way the light reflects on water. One crisp autumn [1:40] morning, Anne looks around at the world and she [1:45] says, I'm so glad I live in a world where there [1:50] are Octobers. Isn't that lovely? Think about [1:56] what she's saying. She isn't just glad it's October. [2:01] She's glad October exists every year. Anne imagines [2:08] how sad it would be to jump straight from September [2:12] to November without this golden glowing month [2:17] in between. That's what I love about Anne. She [2:23] teaches us to be grateful and notice ordinary [2:27] beauty, a leaf. A cloud. A cold, crisp morning. [2:36] So what does October look like for me? I live [2:41] in the French countryside and in October my village [2:46] and the surrounding fields and forests all change. [2:52] The summer heat has finally gone. When I step [2:56] outside in the morning, there's a nip in the [2:59] air. That's a pretty phrase. A nip in the air [3:05] is like a tiny bite of cold. It's just enough [3:10] to wake you up. The air feels crisp and fresh. [3:16] The fields are brown and gold. The farmers have [3:20] turned the soil and have already planted for [3:24] next year. Sometimes there's a thin mist hanging [3:30] over the river. So everything looks soft and [3:35] dreamy, especially at sunrise when I'm out walking [3:39] my dog. When I do go out, I have to bundle up [3:45] these days. To bundle up means to put on warm [3:50] layers like a jumper or a coat so you feel snug [3:56] and protected. My dog, of course, is just happy [4:02] in his fur coat. As we walk, the dry leaves rustle [4:09] under our feet. To rustle is to make that soft [4:15] crackling sound, like paper moving. It's one [4:20] of my favourite sounds in the world. And when [4:24] we come home, the house feels extra cosy. That [4:29] means warm, comfortable and safe. A blanket? [4:36] A hot drink? A good book? All these things are [4:41] at home. Plus, in the afternoons, since my house [4:47] faces west, I get lots of golden sunshine through [4:52] my windows. This keeps the house a little warmer [4:56] in the evenings too. I feel like October makes [5:02] us want to slow down and appreciate a little [5:06] more. Anne of Green Gables isn't the only one [5:11] who loved this month. Writers have been admiring [5:15] October for hundreds of years. One of my favourite [5:21] poets, Robert Frost, once wrote, O hushed October [5:27] morning mild, thy leaves have ripened to the [5:32] fall. Let's have a look at these words. Hushed. [5:37] means very quiet and still, as if the world is [5:42] whispering now. Mild means gentle or warm, not [5:48] too hot and not too cold. And this beautiful [5:54] idea, the leaves have ripened. We usually say [5:59] fruit ripens when it's ready to eat. Robert Frost [6:05] says this about the leaves too. There's a little [6:11] phrase from the poet Helen Hunt Jackson. She [6:16] described October with very simple words. October's [6:22] bright blue weather. I love this. Bright blue [6:28] weather. It makes me think of clear cold days [6:33] when the sky is a deep perfect blue and the sunshine [6:38] warms your face. Let's notice something about [6:43] both of these poets. They don't use extraordinary [6:48] words. They just paid attention. That's the secret [6:54] of enjoying October. When we pay attention, ordinary [6:59] days are suddenly beautiful. Now a little special [7:06] something for you. October... is a wonderful [7:10] month for gentle self -care. Try one tiny October [7:16] ritual this week. Maybe you take a short walk [7:22] and listen to the leaves under your feet. Maybe [7:28] you have a small warm drink and enjoy it slowly [7:33] without your phone. Maybe you simply stand at [7:39] a window and watch the clouds. The word for this [7:45] is to savour. If you savour something, you enjoy [7:51] it slowly and fully, paying attention to every [7:56] little moment. You don't rush, you savour. Because [8:02] October won't last forever. The leaves will fall [8:07] and November will arrive. That's what makes this [8:11] month so precious, and that's why Anne is so [8:15] glad it exists. Now it's your turn. Let's do [8:22] some shadowing. Repeat after me, copying my rhythm [8:26] and intonation. 1. There's a nip in the air this [8:32] morning. 2. I love the crisp, misty mornings. [8:59] 3. I need to bundle up. It's chilly. The leaves [9:11] rustle under my feet. Five. I'm going to have [9:22] a cozy evening at home. And the last one, a line [9:33] from Anne. I'm so glad I live in a world where [9:38] there are Octobers. Now your English sounds lovely [9:50] and a little bit poetic. So here's your small [9:56] challenge for this week. Look out your window [10:00] or step outside and find one thing about October [10:06] that makes you smile. A colour, a smell, a sound, [10:13] even a taste. Then say it in English. I'm so [10:20] glad for... and finish the sentence. I'm so glad [10:26] for the golden light. I'm so glad for pumpkin [10:32] soup. I'm so glad for crisp mornings. Well done [10:40] today and thanks for joining me to celebrate [10:43] the beginning of October. I'm looking forward [10:47] to sharing more episodes with you soon, so make [10:51] sure you have subscribed so you never miss an [10:54] episode. I'll catch you in the next one! So as [11:01] always, come hungry for knowledge. Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.