And so we arrive at the autumn equinox, which, I discover courtesy of the BBC, "marks the day when day and night are roughly equal length" which I knew but, further, "everywhere on Earth experiences roughly 12 hours of sunshine and 12 hours of darkness"which I didn`t know. We are all poised on a "perpendicular axis" as I write, perpendicular, that is, to the sun`s rays before the descent into winter begins.
And this morning was such a perfect one, clear sky, crisp air, that we set off not long after 8 to enjoy it at its best. There is something very satisfying about breakfast after a good walk.
But all the walking over the last week or so have been golden. Well, not all. There have been strong, surprisingly cold winds and short sharp squalls but it`s all part of the shift and change and unsettledness that autumn is.
Mostly golden though:
seasonal jobs underway,
berries everywhere - a glut of everything this year -
and leaves just on the turn.
And the summer was as summery as the autumn has been autumny (I know that`s not a word really). Much ambling down south, morris dancing (watching), a birthday party in a park complete with brass band, some shambling @ Shambala Festival and a little bimbling back at the ranch (including a trip to see Mama Mia Here We Go Again: if you feel weary of this you`re probably weary of etc etc). Some sheep wrestling (again, mostly watching - don`t ask) and, rather gloriously, more time to think and read and write and walk and watch films and listen to music. Semi-retirement has (so far) been a very good idea.
And talking of reading - three really good books: two novels, both about survival and poetry and song, beautifully written but set in completely different worlds and one description of a journey which is not only funny and informative, not to mention encouragingly partisan in places, but also points up far too many dismal similarities between 1936 and 2018. A must read.
Take your pick. :)
So off to beat the bounds on what has turned into a squally, windy evening, make my obeisances to Mabon (www.thoughtco.com/all-about-mabon-the-autumn-equinox-2562286) and get settled back in front of the fire. And no work tomorrow!! :)
