The Last Rose of Summer
Mrs. Toad put the lights on in the bedroom when she got up this morning. There are many signs of the end of Summer, but that is quite a depressing one. We closed the windows in our bedroom a couple of weeks ago, and may close the ones in the dining room soon. At some point we will have to consider putting the heating on again.
In Austria I always loved the Summer and the Winter, primarily because they behaved as those seasons should behave – warm and sunny in one, cold and snowy in the other. When I lived on Cape Cod the Summer was as lovely as sunny Summers by the beach are supposed to be, but I always loved the onset of Autumn. It wasn’t as hot as the Summer, but the sun had a newly warm light, partly due to the sharper angle of its arrival, partly to do with the changing foliage, partly to do with the descending peace as all the tourists and students left, but often just because of the sky and the sea.
The sky on Cape Cod goes a wonderfully slatey blue in the Autumn. The winds pick up and the sea becomes choppier, darker and more mysterious. There is a coolness to the breezes, and they are brisk, but although you do go and put on a jumper it is rarely out of discomfort, more a pleasant indulgence. I have spent no more lovely an afternoon than the one I spent flying a kite down at the beach with a pair of twins I knew, towards the end of my time there. The weather was quite wild and after the hectic Summer, and relentless beach-orientated good times it was sort of nourishing to be a little cooler, to comtemplate the slightly sobering thought of what to do next, and to spend time with friends you know you will shortly be leaving behind, probably for good.
By nourishing I mean the deep, warm satisfaction of having spent a helter-skelter, brilliant Summer and having a sort of buffer period at the end as it all winds down. It reminds you that everything is nearly over, but still gives you a peaceful period of grace to look around you and take stock of how nice it has all been. You are given that little extra chance to make sure you really appreciate the things around you, rather than just charging through life, like we tend to do.
This post was supposed to be about the onset of the wet, grey British Autumn and how depressing it is. As the wet grey Autumns settle into cold, wet, grey Winters then the cosy pub and the warm stew with a bottle of red wine and a crackling fire come into play, so it’s not all bad, but the onset is rotten. But that’s a distracted ramble for another day.
Tom Waits – the Last Rose of Summer
Quinn – Autumn
i love scottish winters. nothing better than a freezing, bright winters day in the countryside in scotland. when the sun is up and the sky is blue, with that crisp, cold chill in the air, there is no better time to be alive. and the light in this country is like no other. it’s special. you just can’t beat it.
Lovely post..
I honestly think that before long I’m going to have to hunt down somewhere to live that has seasons.
That means not the UK.
I’m thoroughly fed up with the interminable trudge through shades of damp-newspaper grey that makes for the British weather. We don’t get seasons anymore, just light grey and dark grey.
I’d agree with you Euan – particularly on the East coast where the sky is clear more often. Down at the Shore on a cold sunny day – lovely!
I’d take a bright frosty morning any day over the hot muggy nonsense we’ve been putting up with lately. Roll on winter, and ye, lots of vino round the fire!!
Is “flying a kite” a euphemism?
Have I spoiled the mood?
Sorry.
No, Bart, that was me..
i love winter. it’s the best time of year. walks in the cold. back to a cosy flat. or the pub for wine and a good fire – all the best pubs still have fires! lovely stuff. i like scarves and wooly hats. and i love big cosy winter jackets. and I used to love taking my dog for a walk and seeing the icicles on him after he’d gone swimming. nothing better than a crisp, clear, cold, scottish winters day.
Except it’s currently Autumn. Which is wet, depressing and shit.
Such a lovely post.
We’ve kind of had a damp grey summer already, it feels like. I like those autumn days where it’s hazy first thing in the morning and you know it’s going to be clear and blue later on. It’s getting to the time when you can see a trail of mist floating just above the course of the river as I go into work in the morning and that’s always good too.
but so was summer. so i’m used to already. just waiting for winter now.
Aw, come on… you were at End of the Road weren’t you? Rainbows after the showers passed, crisp clear mornings with the mist rising off the fields, evenings cool enough to make hot ‘n’ spicy cider extra enticing… Autumn at its finest.
plus – it’s nice to stand in the rain and just get soaked.
ok Euan. I was with you up to that point (well, apart from the dog bit, I never had a dog) but getting soaked in *winter*? Only if you have a hot bath, dry clothes and warm beverage waiting to hand — me an my core body temperature are good friends that don’t like to be parted.
no no – I meant in summer. screw the rain in winter. if it ruins my bright cold days I’d be upset. rain in autumn bothers me not a jot.
I love all those types of days that everyone’s describing too, but how many of them do we get each year? Four? Five?
90% of the weather we get is just damp and grey.
Sorry – I’ll stop bringing a downer and get on board with the nostalgia!
How about a chilly bonfire night with fireworks and hot baked potatoes? With a nip of whisky from a hip flask and the smell of smoke and cordite on the air…
Or walking to the rugby on a bright March day without a coat on so everyone can see the rugby shirt you’re wearing, but with a few layers of T-shirts underneath?!..
I see the Scottish Tourist Board is alive and well.
The thought of smack and pot noodles in Niddry is what keeps the Scottish dream alive for me.
Euan, I’ve never met you but the good people at Boden are asking if you’re available to write for their Autumn/Winter ’09 online catalogue.
Nic – End of the Road was brilliant for that. This morning in Edinburgh was not. I’ll be writing the up the festival shortly, so I guess I’ll ask you about your thoughts then, but it was a good one, don’t you think?
Adam – Whereabouts do you live, then? What river is that? It sounds very dramatic indeed – Heathcliffian almost!
Chimp: comment of the month!
comment of the month? I had to check what Boden was. that’s the weirdest comment of the month for me. be happy to write for anyone about how great winter is tho.
Gotcha. EotR was fantastic in every respect (first one for me so can’t compare); just wish I could go back and see the stuff I missed first time around. Looking forward to the write-up, will store up comments.
Well Euan it’s just that we are waxing somewhat lyrical here, and a well-timed turd in a bird bath always makes for excellent comedy. Sheesh, do I have to explain everything.
Nic – last year I could have gone twice and still missed things I wanted to see. This year was a bit more under control fortunately.
yeah. i am confused. and slightly deflated.
Think i might head to the pub tonight and demand they put the fire on and set up camp with a bottle of merlot, i’m all in the mood! And the weather today is crap…
What – and stay there ’til May?
That’s the best thing about shitty weather actually – it makes inside seem so nice and welcoming.
I live in Shrewsbury, in an oxbow of the Severn, and the river meanders around so I get to see a fair bit of it on the train as I travel to Wolves in morning. The river’s just at the bottom of my street, I try and make sure I have a wander along the towpath at least every other day.
Don’t know if they stock enough merlot to keep me til May!
I used to walk for 20 minutes along the banks of the Thames to get to Vauxhall station when I lived in London. It was amazing to watch the river change every day, and that little walk made the rest of pretty much every day so much more bearable. It was like a nice calm deep breath before the working day.
Hmm… I suspect they’ve barely got enough stock to get you through the evening.
is this wine free??? ;o)
Dylan – I expect you might be right….
I wish my journey to work was so uplifting, the sweaty condensation filled no22 bus is hardly the calm deep breath i would like – much rather encounter the meandering river (i love that word!)
I don’t know Euan – are you using the force right now??
Izzy you want to go to Tanners, it’s right next to the river and is a completely fantastic independent wine merchants.
I am buying a bicycle, so that my journey to work becomes a nice ride along the Water of Leith towpath. That sounds rather nice to me.
Although it might not be very local. A brave attempt to link up disparate conversations, though. Is it just me or is there a smiley thing looking over my shoulder on that last post?
i always use the force in bars izzy. is it working??
Sounds ideal! So picturesque! i might have to do the same Matthew, but it’d be a massive detour which would suggest getting out of bed much earlier – dilemma!!
Sorry, the local thing always creeps in – and sorry, my little smiley face going walkabout??!
That is quite a nice ride along from yours to Leith, actually, Matthew.
There’s a bit of a squidgy bit where you come down off St. Mark’s Park before you pick up pavement again at Redbraes Weir, but it’s quite straightforward apart from that.
I have no idea what the smileys on this site are up to, and I know nothing about coding so I can’t set it right.
Tanners looks a bit lovely Adam, but lovely enough to go to Shrewsbury for? I have my doubts, but that’s blind prejudice. Shrewsbury just sounds so crap – I bet you’ll tell me it’s one of the major highlights of the Western England tourist route next.
Riding to work is great. Though cycling home after a few post-work pints can be interesting (especially if it’s past sunset and you’ve forgotten your lights and have an unlit stretch of woods to negotiate).
Second only to my last commute, which involved a boat.
obviously not working.
See I’m nervous of that too – a few too many sherberts and a river on one side of the cycle path – just seems to be begging for disaster.
I am jealous of the boat bastards actually – you see all these American movies with people in suits taking a relaxing cruise across a picturesque bay. I want to sink the fucker out of sheer jealousy.
And spite. Jealousy and spite.
Haha! The force is weak in this one!!
i can always spare a glass of vino for those in need!
it’s weak today. totally shattered and drained. got some work thing on after work as well. may need some wine!
There are a few mornings where I’ve woken up, looked at my bike and thought “I rode home last night? Well, clearly nothing went wrong….”
My boat was, alas, somewhat less glamorous: a 5 minute cross-river ferry ride, but nice, nonetheless. Now sadly replaced by a bridge with far less character.
Feeling a bit that way too – i blame the weather!
i blame all sorts of things for drinking alcohol. the weather will do today though.
I always knew the Matthew hated us over here!
And yeah, I’m enjoying a gloriously sunny and cool day, so ha.But only after days and days of post-hurricane rain and winds. What a lovely post, and a few more weeks and the Midwest will be exactly as you describe. We honeymooned on Cape Cod at the end of an August long ago and the sky, the most beautiful color. But nothing beats the gorgeous autumn sky of the Midwest, or it’s ridiculously cold, white winters.
Now about those twins? I tend to think like Bart… I’m probably not as embarrassed about that as I should be.
Yeah. What about those twins. hmm? hmm?
Actually, I think they were kids he was babysitting.
Thats what he told me anyway.
I’m looking forward to some bracing walks over the winter having decided to try for the full 54 miles (instead of 42) of the Caley Challenge next year. Any takers for an SBT team? 54 miles in 24 hours?
They were lovely girls who I worked with at the restaurant. One of them was pretty and really nice, and there was something of a dalliance. Secretly though, I always got on better with her sister, but she wasn’t as attractive and I am incredibly shallow.
That’s all there is to tell. Thank you very much.
Team Toad: 54 pints in 24 hours – now that’s a challenge I think we can take on with gusto!
I have always loved autumn. A few years ago I got deathly ill in September and wasn’t quite well until Christmas, and I was afraid it would taint autumn for me forever. But it hasn’t. And now when autumn comes ’round and I’m feeling well it’s all the better for it. It’s a luminous time.
Ugh. I’m leaving sunny Australia at the end of the year, smack bang in the middle of summer, to come to the UK. You are not making it sound that appealing!
The UK is fine, as long as you are prepared to accept alcoholism, aggression and unfriendliness as some sort of perverse bonding exercise. That and constant pissing rain.
Otherwise, it’s lovely…
I used to take my bike with me on the train and cycle through the city at the other end but one day I managed to leave it on the train so it ended up in Anglesea. I managed to get it back but decided if I was so forgetful that I’d leave a bloody great bike behind me I better not take it at all. My grandfather was around such a long time ago (long generation times and all) that I was always told by my grandmother that, for him, it was lucky that the horse knew the way home.
Matthew I’m not going to defend Shrewsbury as a tourist destination hotspot but it’s, you know, perfectly fine, nice art cinema, club with a great tiny venue, some good pubs and food places, the river…
Anywhere with a river has an advantage to begin with. Being by the water – almost any water – is incredibly relaxing.
that’s why i live in leith. nothing better than being by the sea. and if you have to get up early and ditch your car for a service at seafield road, i highly recommend wandering along to portobello and sitting on the wall at the beach on a peaceful day. most relaxing way to start a day.
As the constant drizzle slowly soaks you and the rain starts to dribble down the back of your neck…
why the negatives? I was there the other week and it was perfectly dry and absolutely lovely.
Being damp isn’t necessarily a negative experience for an amphibian.
like kevin costner in water world?
You’ve gone too far there sonny.