Sunday 22 July 2018

Thinking Ahead

As I sit here today on yet another day of endless heatwave, looking out on a panorama of yellow, baked hard and cracked countryside, I find myself having thoughts of autumn and winter, how weird is that! Weird because I loathe the winter with a vengeance, those days of getting light late, dark early, and short days of daylight in between. Days when another year of your life seems to disappear in just six moths of doing nothing-ness.
Last night, as the light began to fade on yet another long day of heat and humidity, I sat in my conservatory relishing the cool breeze that was beginning to blow in the door and pulled the cork on a bottle of red wine. I gradually worked my way down it as twilight became dusk and dusk became darkness. Ellie, my terrier, sat in the doorway and watched the movement of moths on the Verbena bonariensis flowers and the occasional "plop" of something in the pond. A small bat flew round the garden, a late Wood Pigeon landed on the fence, my mood grew more nostalgic, a half moon appeared, it became completely dark as I sat there, the bottle was empty, I unsteadily rose and went to bed.
But back to today and those thoughts of autumn and winter, those seasons yet to come. I love those thick mists that envelop the marsh and make walking across it a challenge, I love the hard, white frosts and blue skies of a frozen dawn when a great, orange sun rises with no warmth and creeps round, hugging the horizon. But that is about it, I don't know why I'm spending this hot, sunny afternoon thinking that way.

"The Water Rat was restless, and he did not exactly know why. To all appearances the summer's pomp was still at fullest height, and although in the tilled acres green had given way to gold, though rowans were reddening and the woods were dashed here and there with a tawny fierceness, yet light and warmth and colour were still present in undiminished measure, clean of any chilly premonitions of the passing year..............there was a feeling in the air of change and departure".  (Wind in the Willows)

12 comments:

  1. Not like you at all to be dreaming of winter! A hot dry landscape that should be green and lush is quite depressing.

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  2. I agree on both accounts Wilma.

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    1. I managed to blog today, Derek. Thanks for your encouragement.

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  3. I think this weather is beginning to make us all long for Autumn Derek. The leaves on the trees and the verges of the roads road here begin to look tired and ready for Autumn too.
    Glad to see you like Wind in the Willows. One of my favourites too.

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  4. Very reflective. I'm glad you emptied the bottle.

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  5. It never tastes as good the next day Gwil, so all in one go.

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  6. A very atmospheric description of your evening, Derek, really well written and a pleasure to read - thank you!
    I have thoughts of autumn, too, and looking very much forward to my and my partner's two weeks off in September. We'll be hiking in the Bavarian woods, an area neither of us knows yet. The colours and the light in autumn is very special, I find.

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  7. Sounds like a nice couple of weeks and hopefully somewhat cooler than at the moment.

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  8. Moody and poetic Derek. I have loved these summer days, nay weeks, nay months. Beautiful. And on the high moors between Sheffield and Manchester you can bounce around in dry, peaty gullies that will be turned to black porridge in the autumn...

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  9. Well Derek its finally worked the rain dance i mean it is absolutely chucking it down today.Down here in Surrey as you probably know it is parched so I'm not complaining and neither are the Starlings that have returned and are madley pecking at the back lawn so I will open the wine and give thanks to the rain God's.ps looks like the heat is back next week.

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