Autumn Preparations

The changing of seasons has become more important to me over the last five or six years. When I lived in Wexford, it was just there, unavoidable and unquestioned, and apart from adjusting my expectations of what I could do on a given day, I don't recall paying much attention to seasonal things. Then again, what fish pays attention to water? My first two years in Dublin, however, were impacted by the changing seasons so very little that I'm beginning to wonder if I spent them in a bubble. I don't recall having a different coat at any stage, for instance; always the same blue velvet jacket.

Now I'm noticing elements of change, more and more every year. Leaves appearing, turning, falling, weather changes, equinoctal storms (not as reliable for the last two years), seasonal fruit, temperatures, changing clothes and fashions, and the reactions in myself.

As summer becomes autumn, I find myself thinking about switching to a coat with sleeves (and muttering vaguely, because my autumn/spring coat doesn't have as many pockets), changing my listening from the punk and reggae of summer toward baroque and medieval, getting in firewood and other burnables, making jam, soup, stew. Considering whether I want to make apple jelly - mr_wombat and cartographer have an apple tree in the back garden; I'm sure if I ask nicely I'd get access - or if the whole straining performance is too much bother.

Even in a city house, I find there are preparations to be made - making sure that we have decent draught excluders this year, bringing the ash bucket from the barbeque to the sitting room fireplace, finding wherever the various fire tools have gone, buying in candles, and moving stuff around in the shed to accomodate the garden furniture.

I'm enjoying all of this.