Change of seasons

Just two days past the autumnal equinox and the weather seems to have gotten the message. I heard the Winter wind at the window during the night, just testing out its wings. No rain yet, but it's chilly and overcast today and the wind is still off the sea. The outside cats are all inside today, trying out different cold-weather sleeping spots. Musty is sleeping on the stove!

The Bougainvillia started dropping it's flowers right on cue exactly two days ago. I thought that it would be a bit behind the times as it suffered a lot during the renovations -- being cut down too much and not getting enough water -- and it's only just started flowering abundantly. But no. The hanepoot stopped sending out the curly bits for clinging on to things a while ago, but its leaves haven't started turning yet. It's quite sheltered in the courtyard, so the plants there could be excused for thinking that it's still Summer.

I felt the change of seasons a few weeks ago. Not something that I can pinpoint exactly, but just a small change in the air, a slight chill in the mornings, the sky a little bit bluer. And the inevitable Wille Weghol (probably best translated as "Wanderlust") that comes with it. It's not as if I hate the winter here, in fact, Winter here is mostly nicer than Summer, but whenever I feel the seasons changing, I feel like running away somewhere. Perhaps it is some remnant of when we (humans) lived much closer to the seasons, and our survival depended on being aware of when Winter was on its way, and knowing when it was time to move on to a safe place to spend the cold months. Either way, I feel it in my bones when the seasons are about to change, and it normally makes me slightly crazy for a while. But. That was a few weeks ago, and I am back to my normal (sane?) self again and looking forward to the storms and the rain.