‘Autumn days when the grass is jewelled…’ So went the song I sang in school assembly when I was growing up. I’m not saying the hymn was of its time, but other things we said a ‘great big thank you’ for were the smell of bacon, the singing milkman and ‘jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled’, the sort of shoehorned-in rhyme even I might baulk at.

Autumn days are certainly with us and for me, that means the obligatory trip to Stourhead to gaze at the leaves in all their seasonal hues. Last Saturday was the sort of gloriously sunny day where half the country seemed to have had the same idea: by the time we got there, the car park was full, as was the overflow car park, and the emergency airfield car park was down to its last few spaces. But the walk around the lake was as stunning as ever: an invigorating blast of autumnal colour.

Autumn evenings, meanwhile, has meant enjoying a trio of musical jewels here in Salisbury. Last Thursday, I went to the Everyman to watch ‘The Tipping Point’, the new Tears For Fears concert film. The staff member introducing the film cheerfully told us he had no idea who Tears For Fears were, but those of us who did know had a great time. It wasn’t so long ago that the Odeon was the only cinematic option in town: sitting in comfy seats, with a decent sound system and heating that works still feels a treat to me.

On Friday night, I went to see Play On! at Salisbury Playhouse. Originally a Broadway hit by in the 1990s, Play On! is a jazz musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, rebooted to 1940s Harlem with the tunes of Duke Ellington. This new production by the Talawa theatre company was a delight: great songs sung exceptionally well, with a street dance choreography to match. The only disappointment was the empty seats for what was the best show I’ve seen in Salisbury this year: if you get chance to go before the run ends, I’d heartily recommend.

On Saturday night, I switched from jazz to blues, and a performance of the Rhythm Blasters at the Duke of York. The Duke of York is one of six Salisbury pubs to feature in the Good Beer Guide, and if there was a similar guide for blues bands, the Rhythm Blasters would be in that as well.

Naysayers often do our city down: ‘nothing on’; ‘nothing to do’. But my three autumn evenings argue the opposite: on screen, on stage and down the front, there is plenty to explore and enjoy as the nights close in.