The sound of lawn-mowers eating up and belching out grass resonates in
the air like a badly-conducted chorus. The dissonance is welcome, however. The sudden,
almost simultaneous act of weeding our gardens amongst my neighbours responds
more to urgency than willing agency. The ubiquitous presence of late-summer
rain in the last few weeks has halted our ritual of fortnight grass-cutting. Like
a long mane that has not been treated to its regular short-back-and-sides,
trimming becomes more an act of desperation than an ornamental observance.
I finish my garden chores before the others. I want to go for a run. The
temperature is still pleasant, neither too hot as it was at the tail end of
August, nor autumnal chilly yet. I do spot, though, low-flying, Dalmatian-like
clouds with a grey so dark that you could dip a fountain pen in them and write
your name on a blue sky that is fast becoming overcast.
As soon as I finish my warm-up I set off. The cacophonous sound of the
lawn-mowers fades away. In its place a beautiful spectacle opens up before me: I
call it a pre-autumn urban display. One minute patches of the pavement are
bathed in sunshine the next covered up in shadow. Further along, the industrial
estate that borders my neighbourhood becomes an unintentional background for
the first auburn/burgundy/hazel/russet hues. Autumn is not here yet, but it is
already trying to break through the cracks on the walls.
The scant light changes as a result of my motion and this causes the
colours to which I am exposed become more or less intense. Pace, not speed, I
keep reminding myself, as I suddenly feel the exertion of a long steep hill. I
think of a camera but my eyes disabuse me of the idea pretty quickly. There is
no better camera than the human memory when confronted by a sea of flowers that
flanks me on either side and has benefitted from the recent rains. My path
turns into road and switches back to pavement as I return home and the first
drop falls on my nose.
© 2015
Next Post: “Saturday Evenings: Stay In, Sit Up and Switch On”, to be published
on Saturday 26th September at 6pm (GMT)
I too am enjoying the pre-autumn display, not so cold yet seeing all the colors of the leaves changing ~ I am lazy with the garden work knowing full well winter is just coming to cover everything ~
ReplyDeleteYou captured the season transition from one to the next very well ~ Have a good week ~
Such a nicely written vignette!
ReplyDeleteALOHA
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
Wonderful post, and I can't get over how much I love your header! I love the Autumn, the root vegetables in abundance and at great prices, the crisp, cool weather, the changing leaves, the colours, everything! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're a gifted writer and this piece was wonderfully sensuous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a truly delightful window into your world.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Sounds pretty lovely! I spend a few days a week in City but in the mountains in upstate NY (where I actually live), the leaves are already changing--we have not yet had a frost, but are already dipping down into the 40s Farenheit. (I still swim--ha!--but it is cold!) Take care, lovely pacing in your writing, and I bet on your run too. k.
ReplyDeleteCaught all the sights and sounds as they surround and the seasons switch without a glitch.
ReplyDeleteThe writing is exquisite, CiL.
ReplyDeleteAutumn, while having arrived on the calendar, is still a couple of hundred miles to the north of me and I am in no hurry for it to sweep south. In fact, with a bit of luck, it will not put in a real appearance for another five or six weeks, at which time it is sure to announce its presence with freezing rain and snow.
This was such a lovely read. Thanks for caring about the issues raised in my post - it is always so nice to see you when you stop by:)
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely. And thanks for the warning about the state of my garden when I get home!
ReplyDeletei think the proportion of nature spaces to urban living must be well balanced.
ReplyDeletein our tiny country, it is highly urbanised but there are still many good parks and trails for us to enjoy.
Hi ACIL - I love the smell of mown grass ... but at the moment down here - we're caught up with tree cutting ... but London has some amazing places and parks - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, Cuban. I was lost in the beauty of it all. Yes, I noticed a local avenue of horse chestnut trees was gradually changing colour. I love autumn colours.
ReplyDeleteLovely passage. I can see all of those flowers. And I'm happy every time I see your Brixton cover photo!
ReplyDeleteNice writing and tomorrow I will spend working on the lawn and plants, getting ready for autumn, which means warm (as opposed to summer which was hot)
ReplyDelete