Summery summary

Remember how cold and wet it was in June?

And how much one longed for a bit of warmth to bask in?

Well ha ha ha.

We got it.

That's 114º F.

In the shade.

Not so much basking weather,

as

lurking behind closed shutters

hanging wet towels at windows

freezing towels as compresses

and rediscovering the joys of Uno weather.

Because if you did venture out

it was so blindingly bright

and pulsatingly hot

that even being sensible in the shade

wasn't an option.

There was a lovely pool,

but only one sun umbrella.

Don't be deceived by that cloud.

It never even attempted to shield us from the sun.

The box moth was thriving though.

There were hideous clouds of them

being enjoyed misguidedly by the tourists

in lavender fields.

But these murals were unexpectedly lovely.

And being awake early one morning

I heard a roaring sound and to my astonishment

saw this -

Since returning to a land of wholly acceptable variants 

on normal summer temperatures

I have been grateful for the ability to think, move around freely and sleep.

The grandchildren had meanwhile surely grown 

more than a week's absence could have made possible.

One of them having clocked up his first year

in the blink of an eye.

From darkness to light

 

 Watching a distant storm skimming the horizon

while standing on dry land

with just the slightest feeling 

that the wind could bring the trouble nearer
and there we are without an umbrella or galoshes.

Then breathing a sigh of relief as it passes

and the sun returns.

If only all our worries could be blown away so easily.

in absentia

Yes I do see how Instagram lures

one away from the blog.

It's so breezy and bite-sized.

Even on a dodgy phone with a broken screen that has to be jabbed

multiple times in order to 'share',

it still wins hands down over the old computer for immediacy.

Mac struggles to load photos to Blogger in under an hour.

I have to take myself off to while away the time more profitably

and then completely lose my train of thought.

So in the absence of a coherent narrative,

I'm going for colour graduation,

because this autumn has been all about

the most spectacular colour changes

and dramatic skies.

Much to be thankful for.