So that was summer?
We had a sudden snap in the heatwave, and all at once last night was cool and breezy. What a relief!
But at the same time there was a sense of No! Is summer over? Not yet!
It needs to be over for the sake of the wasteland that was my garden. But I need that quiet solitude of water and sky. Where it's just me and the hummingbirds.
My summer was spent writing. I wrote two novels. Fair Play (out in November) and Boy with the Painful Tattoo (out in October). In between the writing there was time spent with kidlings who are now taller than me. I read some good books, I had some nice meals. watched a few interesting documentaries, I argued with the SO. But really...that was about it. This was a working summer.
I heard coyotes last night -- loud and nearby. When I woke this morning, it smelled like autumn. Summer is fading. The clock is ticking.
So time for another FIVE THINGS I LOVE. I suppose this is the autumn edition. We've already had summer.
1 - Action-Adventure movies.
Edge of Tomorrow. Well, they changed the name (Live, Die, Repeat?) and it's still wrong. But the movie is right. Possibly the best action-adventure movie I saw this summer. I loved it. Yes, lurved it.
It's now on video/stream, so go treat yourself to an entertaining Friday night.
2 - Mournful sounds.
The wind through the trees. Coyotes at night. Train calls in the moonlit distance. I had ALL of them last night, so I maybe be sleep-deprived right now. There were no sobbing ghosts, so that's something.
3 - The light in Autumn
The light changes in Autumn. Everything is more intense, more luminous. It's a sunshine and shadow thing, but...it really gives a strange power to every afternoon. The days linger. You feel reminiscent and weirdly anticipatory. It's a strange time, these few weeks while everything changes. It is a time of possibility, and yet I feel more connected to the past. I am always both melancholy and excited in the fall. In short, I am harder to live with than usual.
4 - Black and White photos
This often pops up on my Goodreads lists of Daily Things I Love. I saw a documentary lately about a woman -- an amateur photographer by the name of Vivian Maier. Anything I tell you will be too much. You must discover this story for yourself. I think it speaks to the nature of creativity and art.
5 - The Mysteries of Frances Crane
Well, vintage mystery in general. But I am really enjoying the Crane's extensive backlist. I like to hunt down original editions with the gorgeous (or sometimes just crazy) cover artwork. Right now I'm reading The Golden Box, which I've started several times before but just was never quite in the right frame of mind. Now I am loving it, and looking forward to reading every night before I fall into bed.
So now it's your turn. Five things you love about autumn. Maybe you'll pick the very same things you picked last year at this time. That's always interesting. Some things are universal. The seasons are changing. But how much do we change? ;-)
But at the same time there was a sense of No! Is summer over? Not yet!
It needs to be over for the sake of the wasteland that was my garden. But I need that quiet solitude of water and sky. Where it's just me and the hummingbirds.
My summer was spent writing. I wrote two novels. Fair Play (out in November) and Boy with the Painful Tattoo (out in October). In between the writing there was time spent with kidlings who are now taller than me. I read some good books, I had some nice meals. watched a few interesting documentaries, I argued with the SO. But really...that was about it. This was a working summer.
I heard coyotes last night -- loud and nearby. When I woke this morning, it smelled like autumn. Summer is fading. The clock is ticking.
So time for another FIVE THINGS I LOVE. I suppose this is the autumn edition. We've already had summer.
1 - Action-Adventure movies.
Edge of Tomorrow. Well, they changed the name (Live, Die, Repeat?) and it's still wrong. But the movie is right. Possibly the best action-adventure movie I saw this summer. I loved it. Yes, lurved it.
It's now on video/stream, so go treat yourself to an entertaining Friday night.
2 - Mournful sounds.
The wind through the trees. Coyotes at night. Train calls in the moonlit distance. I had ALL of them last night, so I maybe be sleep-deprived right now. There were no sobbing ghosts, so that's something.
3 - The light in Autumn
The light changes in Autumn. Everything is more intense, more luminous. It's a sunshine and shadow thing, but...it really gives a strange power to every afternoon. The days linger. You feel reminiscent and weirdly anticipatory. It's a strange time, these few weeks while everything changes. It is a time of possibility, and yet I feel more connected to the past. I am always both melancholy and excited in the fall. In short, I am harder to live with than usual.
4 - Black and White photos
This often pops up on my Goodreads lists of Daily Things I Love. I saw a documentary lately about a woman -- an amateur photographer by the name of Vivian Maier. Anything I tell you will be too much. You must discover this story for yourself. I think it speaks to the nature of creativity and art.
5 - The Mysteries of Frances Crane
Well, vintage mystery in general. But I am really enjoying the Crane's extensive backlist. I like to hunt down original editions with the gorgeous (or sometimes just crazy) cover artwork. Right now I'm reading The Golden Box, which I've started several times before but just was never quite in the right frame of mind. Now I am loving it, and looking forward to reading every night before I fall into bed.
So now it's your turn. Five things you love about autumn. Maybe you'll pick the very same things you picked last year at this time. That's always interesting. Some things are universal. The seasons are changing. But how much do we change? ;-)
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Dyan wrote: "Autumn is my absolute favorite season. I love so many things about it but off the top of my head:1. The trees - the colors the leaves turn always amazes me. I will never tire of this. I'm sur..."
Ah Dyan the more I glean from your posts, comments and activity here on Goodreads, the more I realize we just might be kindred spirits. Here in Edmonton we don't have a long enough fall to watch leaves change, though the 1 week or so we do get it I love it. I drive down older neighbourhoods with big, tall trees that are tall enough to completely shade the roads and it is a glorious sight.
As for cooler temps (though I become somewhat of a shut in when snow flies as I am a terrible coward when it comes to driving) I too enjoy cooler weather and my neighbours know. Currently I am wearing my husbands XXL (which is odd cause he is ever so tall and skinny and usually wears a medium) San Fransisco Sweater and some nice warm leggings. This is my cold weather uniform!!! Too bad we were not neighbours we could sit and model for all the others!!!
Autumn is maybe the last chance to walk in the park with your favorite ice cream and t-shirt before the cold, cold winter. Isn't it better when you know it is not lasting? When you know it's your last chance at it? Autumn helps being grateful for the little things, which is great in itself :)
1. The trees - the colors the leaves turn always amazes me. I will never tire of this. I'm sure that I have thousands of pictures and will probably add a thousand more. I can't help it, the different hues fascinate me.
2. The cooler temps - this girl loves her flannel and fleece pants. I'm not ashamed to sit outside and model them for my neighbors ;-)