The leaves are turning brown, the nights are getting shorter, and students have returned to Newcastle once more.
It's autumn, and after a long summer away, the population of our city's two universities are returning.
Here are ten signs we've noticed that always signal their return.
Going into town suddenly makes you feel incredibly old
Seems like only yesterday you were a teenager yourself, but the return of a wave of actual teenagers and early 20-somethings makes you realise it was a bit longer ago than that. This is worsened if you spot anyone wearing a school leavers' hoodie and the '2019' date on the back makes you realise you're looking at someone born after the millennium who is now old enough to drink.
A weekday night out is suddenly a lot more vibrant
Speaking of drinking, plenty of Newcastle's students like to do a fair amount of it (once all their work is done, of course). During the summer, the city centre is a bit of a ghost town on a week night, but now everywhere from the Diamond Strip to the Pink Triangle is bustling with people every night of the weekend.
There are a lot of people going out in matching outfits now for some reason
This is Newcastle, so we're pretty used to stag and hen dos in some strange get ups, but there's been a definite surge in unusually coordinated outfits recently.
From the multiple groups in matching pub crawl T shirts my colleague has spotted this week, to the 'traffic light party' group I saw in Jesmond at the start of the month, to the huge group of lasses all wearing identical denim outfits and white T shirts I passed recently (I guess maybe that was a coincidence?), it seems students like to dress as a group. Students in general seem to commit far more to fancy dress than anyone else.
Trebles are back in town
We've noticed a sudden surge in the drinks offers for which our city's nightlife is famed and we think we've got our student friends to thank. There are offers everywhere, but three for £7 in the new Market Shaker is one that caught our eye and seems to have appeared recently.
The good news? You absolutely don't have to be a student to take advantage of these delightful, if dangerous, deals.
The rubbish
The question of where exactly the blame lies is a bit controversial, but whether it's the fault of students themselves or landlords doing a swift clear out before new tenants move in, rubbish in the back lanes in student areas like Jesmond and Heaton is often a problem when terms start and end.
Want to get on the Metro at West Jesmond? Good luck, mate
You won't get on past all those Kanken backpacks now. Sorry, that's just the way it is.
If you went to uni, you're remembering your student days fondly
The nights out, the lectures, the sleeping in and forgetting to go to lectures, the crippling debt. Where did it all go?
And if you live in a student area, you're fondly remembering the days when you could sleep through the night
Not to tar all students with the same brush, but the first few weeks of term are usually a noisy time. Make friends with your neighbours if possible and hopefully everyone will be a bit more considerate - plus in a few weeks they'll probably all be stressed and bogged down with essays and exams anyway, right?
They're getting to know Eldon Square
Eldon Square's ever-popular Student Shopping night brings hundreds of young people into the centre looking for a bargain - last week surprising shoppers with the sizes of the .
Your local shop is suddenly full of teenagers in pyjamas
I'm looking at you, West Jesmond Tesco.
