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Wednesday 31 October 2018

A Cheat

This year we had a wonderful summer, weather-wise, according to my memory.    However, my young granddaughter recalls it as a wet summer.   We live right next door to one another...

Memory is a bit of a cheat, I know,  selecting certain memories, erasing others.  We had lots of sunshine and heat, too little rain - perhaps too much heat, for some.       I can only think that perhaps there was a rare day of rain which spoiled some outing or other for her.

So far we have had a beautiful autumn, lots of sunshine and some wonderfully warm days with blue skies, brilliant sunshine.   The drift of bonfire smoke on the air, crunchy leaves underfoot and even the occasional butterfly enjoying the warmth.    I need to fix those wonderful days in my memory.

The last few days have been cold, a seeping creeping type of cold.     We have had very heavy rain showers, sleet, hail and lead grey skies.    Even those trees which normally blaze out a fiery red and orange are dull and dismal.

Recent walks along the old railway line have been squelchy and muddy.    The colours  mainly purplish browns, brownish greens, greyish brown and dirty yellow/yellowish brown.   Lots of browns.  Rather like walking through a bowl of soggy bran flakes.   

The hedgerows are still beautifully illuminated by orange and red rosehips and I had the pleasure of spotting a family of rabbits scampering away, and some very quiet female pheasants, refugees from the weekend shoot and, most excitingly, two large and very beautiful deer.     Soggy bran flakes, it seems, have some advantages over crisp and crunchy ones.

Yesterday, I reached the point where I either turn back and retrace my steps, or cut through the fields and byways and enter the village on the far side from Parsonage Cottage.     The wind suddenly became fierce, blowing in from the north, heavy rain fell.   I pulled up my hood, the wind blew it down.   We fought all the way home, he won.   I was drenched.

There came a point where even Toby, the dog who really doesn't like getting wet, realised that it was futile to take his usual detours around puddles, trying to avoid wetting his paws because he was drenched, too.     

He is a Labrador crossed with something,  possibly a cat, given his dislike of water.

The jury is out.   Will my memories be of sunshine or rain, warmth or cold?

Today dawned frosty and very cold but the sun has been shining brightly.   The colours have been restored, thanks to the brilliant sunshine.   It clouded over for a while, but the sunshine is back.  Another splendid truly autumnal day.  Trees are acquiring a different kind of beauty, their stripped back winter form,  structure on show.   A different kind of beauty, but I like it.

Now I have run out of time, lost the thread of what I was going to say. 

Ah, well!












29 comments:

  1. My most prominent memory of the Summer is, too hot.
    I love the sunshine but can't take the heat anymore.
    Spring and Autumn are my best months.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Two beautiful times of the year, magical and visually exciting!

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  2. Lovely to see the sunshine back today. Our neighbour told us today that this is very typical of Lincolnshire weather, much drier than the south west. As long as the sun shines I can cope with the cold.

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    1. I am always grateful for blue skies and sunshine, definitely lifts the spirits.

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  3. You said a _lot_.... Touching on the topic of, how slippery our memory can be.

    Humans really _want_ to believe that our memories are clear and precise. Such a belief, gives us comfort. (As so many of our beliefs, do.... Give us comfort, that is.) Yet, I have read other views, on how very unreliable our memories really are.

    Just look at how many conflicting eye-witness accounts, are sometimes given, of the same accident/event.

    So I hope you remember both of these days... The wet, miserable, dull day. And the glorious one, which followed. :-)

    ✨🎃👻🎃✨

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    1. I think recall can very much depend upon mood - at the time of recording, but also at the time of reviewing things!
      Time is also different when we are young. Days passed much more slowly, these days they simply whizz by, far too quickly!

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  4. Toby must be part cat, as every Labrador I've known has loved water! I love your soggy bran flakes analogy - it is perfect! I often think that negative memories have louder voices than the happy ones. Why else would I think that this past spring was dry and difficult, the summer hot and uncomfortable and the fall, cold, wet, and grey? I am sure that these were the exceptions (well, except for this fall - I believe we've had a collective hour of sunshine in four weeks), yet it's all I can conjure up.

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    1. Sorry to hear that, Susan. You will just have to superglue those sunshine hours together and hope that increases their volume.

      I recommend the soggy bran flakes as an aid to wildlife spotting. I see far more beautiful sights when i can walk quietly, but then I love the colours, crunch and crackle of the crispy ones.

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  5. I would love to have had awet summer, I hated this one way too hot. Getting cold here are well though I will say of you has a Wippet it really would not like getting it's feet wet.

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    1. I loved the heat this year, but we live only a few miles from the coast so perhaps this kept things a bit fresher.

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  6. Gumboots till easter?
    Bit of unexpected rain last night. The lettuce and the oxalis loved it. Sunshine today so they'll both be competing for control of the bed.
    Poor Toby. My daughter has a dog that hates water. He won't even go onto the big car ferry unless forced. Hope the sun comes out and dries out the puddles

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    1. I use gumboots all year round, Linda. Only for walking the dog, though! I hope the lettuce wins, but I have my doubts.

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  7. Could it be that as we get older we tend to remember the good times rather than the bad - hence you remembering a wonderful summer and your grand-daughter a wet one.

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    1. I have grown a bit more 'Pollyanna-ish' over the years, I will admit it, so you could be right!

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  8. Here in North Devon the weather broke as soon as the children began their Summer holiday...so although we did have weeks of heat and sun...actually the Summer break was mediocre in comparison. x

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    1. What a shame. We had a bit of a stutter here, but then it improved. Perhaps it was the difference between east coast and west coast weather.

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  9. The too-hot and lengthy summer was too much for me, and now I am complaining about the winds that are blowing fiercely in all directions. Perhaps it is penance for complaining about the heat!

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    1. Where would we be without our mixed bag of weather! I don't cope with too much sunshine, but I loved the heat.

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  10. You have painted a lovely picture of your autumnal walk, not very pleasant the getting drenched bit though! xcx

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    1. Luckily I wasn't planning to go out afterwards - drying down the dog, and then myself, took quite a while!

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  11. What a gorgeously written post. Whether you remember the cold and damp or the glorious, I will remember how artistically you wrote about it. :)

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    1. I hope you are really getting into your stride and enjoying retirement, Silver Willow. Fun times ahead!

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  12. Nov. 2nd: Re your comment on this post of mine... Below, I copy and paste the reply I did there. :-)
    -----------
    ELAINE: When you said, that _you_ being cozy and warm, at home, provokes/bothers your social conscience.... I take it you mean, that it can be hard for you, to enjoy such home comforts, knowing that there are others, who can not.

    In all such possible dilemmas, I refer to the words of Joseph Campbell... "Go joyfully, amid the sorrows of the world." By this, he did _not_ mean, that we should not _try_ to help. But in the end, the world will always have its sorrows. This does not mean, that we have to be always sorrowful, also. Nor does it mean, that we can not enjoy the fruits of our labor.

    My thoughts.... -smile-

    'Wisps of Words'

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  13. Hi Elaine, I echo Silver Willow above - I so enjoyed reading your words in this post; they woke up all my senses. Like you, I've been relishing the defined seasons this year: looking back at holiday snaps of our hot, sunny summer, and capturing the autumn colours with my camera. We've been lucky, I feel. I think I tend to edit memories and recall the nice ones - which is fine by me!

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    1. Thank you, Jacqui - and Silver Willow. There are so many elements of autumn which I love, although today we are experiencing several of the less pleasant ones! I am looking forward to seeing some more of your autumnal photographs.

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  14. Nov. 7th

    Hmmmmm, no new posts here, since Oct. 31st. But I see, you did reply above, on Nov. 6th. Still, no new posts here, since Oct. 31st.

    -smile- As you know, I notice these things. -smile-

    ✨🍁✨🍎✨🍁✨

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    1. Ooops! Just found this in 'awaiting moderation' - I must get into the habit of checking it more often!

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  15. Hehhhh... I commented too soon. There is a new post here! -grin-

    ✨🍁✨🍎✨🍁✨

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.