Now we have darkness again for several hours of the night. When the first real darkness appears after two months of constant daylight, it’s a shock, and we yearn to have those light summer nights back. But quickly I am comforted again by the darkness arriving before sleep. I can relax from the summer ritual of shutting all the blinds an hour before bed, which works like putting a bag over a bird’s cage.
So I welcomed the darkness. Seeing street lights again is the autumn equivalent of hearing the first cuckoo. It’s a sign of the change of season. The seasons come so fast they create interesting blends. Summer and autumn seem to have joined forces right now and there are brilliant summer wildflowers among autumn coloured leaves. We’re working as much as we can in the garden, removing all the fading green growth because we know one day soon we’ll notice that autumn has gone too, and there will be snow.
Not only is cold weather and winter on the way but, we are reminded, in fact it’s not long until Christmas. A couple of days after the street lights came back on we noticed that the decorative, seasonal, let’s face it Christmas lighting had reappeared on the trees in the park over the road. In August? I’m trying not to see snow. It isn’t there yet, but my brain keeps adding it.
So now I’m shutting the blinds again so I don’t have to look at them. There’s only so much of Christmas one can take.
