For most of my life, the first of September denoted the first of spring. Seasons are not generally commemorated in South Africa the way they are in Sweden, but most people I know talk about the first of spring. There is a happiness in that soon it will be summer, the summer holidays, the end of the school year, and Christmas/New Year in the sunshine.
In the far northern hemisphere though, there are huge differences in the seasons. The light pitches from one extreme to another, and autumn brings not only great beauty but a kind of melancholy at the end of summer.
We had our annual 300km motorbike rally last weekend.
There are the last flea markets for the summer at all my favourite haunts, the shops are full of autumn clothes, and there was the annual midnight run last weekend. Here are the cats watching the runners as they ran along the canal outside our apartment.
Because of the winter being so cold, many kiosks and ice cream shops close after the summer. Soon the motorbikes will be off the road and the boats will be taken out of the water.
I cannot help feeling a little melancholy as I watch the sandals come off and the boots go on. This spring and summer have been grey and rainy, so I hope there is some sun before darkness completely closes in. I have suffered from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) before, and have no wish to do so again...
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