The Fall

So here I am, time has passed, life has changed again, I am back to 'life as usual' after a long summer holiday and a wonderful visit from my mum. So many experiences and memories, too many to record.
The new school year has started for my girls, at a time when we are used to winding down our year, it is only just beginning to wind up. Our biological rhythms must adjust to the opposite of everything we were born into. A shift in mindset must kick in, we are adapting to and taking on not only a new culture but a totally new life.

This time of year is extremely beautiful on the East Coast. It's not difficult to see why the Americans refer to Autumn as "The Fall". In our area, "The Garden State", the bright green leaves all around us fade rapidly into shades of brown, purple, yellow, orange and red.... their brilliance ending in showers of falling leaves and  ground carpets of shapes and colours that are quite something to behold. Every day the landscape changes...every day...Falling Falling..until the drone of leaf blowers ends and the cycle of nature absorbs them into the earth and only barrenness remains. It's a stark contrast to the lush summer foliage, an indescribable change, one that I wonder if I will ever get used to.

This is the favourite season of the year for many locals, not for me. The beauty is superseded in my mind by the promise that winter is coming. I don't dislike the winter, I know for sure the cold and snow is something I can appreciate and enjoy. It has its own beauty and magnificence. It certainly is something to be experienced. But I am a Southern Hemisphere girl...I thrive in sunshine and green gardens.....I relish the sounds of the sea and winters that are mild and forgiving.

But I know I need to appreciate each day for the experience... For now I am here. I will sip pumpkin flavoured coffee, decorate my garden with "Mums" (chrysanthemums) and scarecrows, arrange Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving weekend and know in my heart that one day I will be richer for these things.