The Missing Seasons

Like any true Brit, I'm blaming the weather for this. For this mood of mine. And it's not just me, I hasten to add...others around me, mentioning no names, seem to be affected too.

Right now, I've seen enough grey, misty weather to last me a lifetime. I miss blue sky. Well, any sky really...I feel like I haven't seen the sky for months. Yes, that's a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Some days it seems moody and mystical to feel as though you are living in the clouds, unable to see the world that you know exists out there, but is hidden behind a vail of mist, but lets face it, for most of us, after a few days of these conditions, it's more likely to bring us down and leave us feeling claustrophobic, trapped even. Or perhaps that is just me. If I hadn't spent the last 3 winters in Canada it probably wouldn't be such a big deal for me, but I have, and I'm going to say it.....I miss canadian winters. I'd rather have snow and very cold crisp sunny days and blue sky over greyness, humid, damp, hot then cold but throughout it all, eternally grey weather. You get the picture.

I like seasons. My favourite, Autumn, does not seem to exist here. At least not in any recognisable form. I'm not quite sure how it works here but it seems like the leaves stay on the trees all winter until the new growth in the spring forces them to fall off because all of a sudden, within the last week or so, you can see new, fresh growth on a lot of the trees and old dead leaves underfoot but I have never seen a naked tree here. Today, it was like taking a walk in the woods back "home"...and this time I mean in the UK. Not exactly Burnham Beeches or anything but given the vast amount of trees in the Tai Tam Country Park, there was only a dusting of leaves on the ground. Where do they all go? Perhaps they don't all fall? It's a mystery to me, but I do know that simple as this may sound, I really enjoyed the novelty of walking on soggy wet leaves today...it really reminded me of walking in the woods on a cold, foggy, autumn day...it was nice. It felt familiar in a way I've not experienced here before. And, I am sure it will be back in a day or two but for now the humidity has dropped along with the temperatures and it's just cold and damp...just the way I remember the english winter.

Maybe the sun will make an appearance tomorrow...or I'll catch a glimpse of blue between the grey...