Wake me up when September ends
1 Sep
Well, it’s September, then. That sucks.
And I know: I know everyone who reads this will be all, “Yay! Winter! There will be long walks in the crisp Autumn leaves, while wearing long scarves and looking just like Ali McGraw in Lovestory! And there will be chestnuts roasting on an open fire! Yay, yay, and thrice yay!” And when you say this, I will nod and smile, but secretly I will be thinking “The hell?” Do these people live inside a movie or something? Because, seriously, I don’t even KNOW anyone who has an open fire, so all of you people who look forward to snuggling up in front of one while the snow falls picturesquely outside the window may as well be on another planet as far as I’m concerned. I mean, I guess I could try to roast chestnuts/marshmallows on one of the radiators, but I just don’t think I would get the same effect, somehow.
Long walks, kicking up the crisp Autumn leaves, as if in the montage scene of a movie? Nah. Here we just go directly from “what passes for summer” to “Holy crap, it’s freaking WINTER”. We do not pass ‘Go’. We do not kick up the crisp Autumn leaves. And we certainly don’t look anything like Ali McGraw in Lovestory, because, well, that was actually a movie. As I’ve said before, there is no such thing as winter “fashion” in Scotland, because we just have to wear everything at once. Or at least, I do.
From this, you’ll gather that I’m not exactly enthused about the end of summer. (It actually ended about six weeks ago, here, obviously, but it’s taken the rest of the world a while to catch up.) This weekend I had planned to do my annual wardrobe switchover, when I pack away all my (mostly unworn) summer dresses and short-sleeved tops and get out all of the warm sweaters and thermal underwear I live in for 8 months of the year, but I just couldn’t face it. It was too soon. So, instead, I went shopping.
Before you get excited, though, it wasn’t THAT kind of shopping – you know, the kind that’s actually FUN? It was a “stock up on winter essentials” kind of trip, and it was actually fairly successful, if not exactly enjoyable: last winter I bought a bunch of stuff I didn’t actually wear because it was always too cold and miserable, so this year I decided to just accept the inevitable: that I will be wearing roughly the same outfit from now until next May, and so I bought some warm sweaters and a scarf, and no shoes whatsoever. (Not that I won’t be wearing shoes, you understand: just that I won’t be wearing particularly nice ones, because it will be wet and freezing all the time.) I was hoping that, by doing this, I could force the summer to hang on for just a little longer, just to spite me, but nah: last night we were actually woken up by the sound of the torrential rain hammering on the window, and today it’s more or less “winter”.
I wish I could hibernate until Spring.
(I know: here I am complaining about the weather and SOME PEOPLE DON’T GOT NO WEATHER! The cheek of me.)
You do get to buy a new coat, though…
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You need a holiday in the Midlands. There’s lots of leaf kicking in the Peaks and on Cannock Chase – that’s why Autumn is my fave season! It’s beautiful down here!
I buy into the whole “Yay, it’s winter” thing because a) I stop having to worry about crisping in the sun (again, not a problem for you up in the Edinburgh environs) and b) if I don’t delude myself for at least the 3 months leading up to Christmas by the time we hit January I actually WILL kill myself. I HATE winter, I hate the cold, I hate the dark mornings and nights… I’m always amazed when I’ve even lasted out January and February and made it to March! I simply can’t face it until January kicks in, for sanity’s sake.
Plus, my birthday is September, and it’s ALWAYS sunny on my birthday (not warm necessarily, but not dark at least) and not opfficially “autumn” until afterwards.
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I’ve just read that back. It seems my next three months – a quarter of my every year – are based entirely on denial! :S
Caroline´s last blog ..Bank Holiday
Haha – actually I think your comment about sunsccreen hit the nail on the head: if there was actually something to contrast winter with, I’d maybe appreciate it a bit more, but as it is, our weather is just either BAD or WORSE. Now that we’re entering into the WORSE phase, I can’t help but feel a little bit cheated!
We have the exact same weather, only it’s blisteringly hot and humid with rains. OMG! Scotland of the tropics!
And, here’s wishing you a very Happy Onam, even though you may never have heard of it. (It’s the state festival of Kerala, and it starts today. Yay! New clothes!)
OMG, I can’t believe that you just bagged WINTER. Like, OMG. Like, THERE ARE CHILDREN STARVING, LADY.
Like, FIRE AND THUNDER AND LIGHTNING WILL BLAST DOWN FROM THE SKY ON YOU, cos RAIN IS AWESOME, didn’t you know?!?!?! And ice and sleet and snow, like, totally are the best and how dare you worship THE SUN.
Also, winter fashion is DA BOMB and, like, you should totally get on board!! SCARVES RULE, DRESSES DROOL!!!!##@##
p.s. OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DIDN’T BUY SHOES!!*&(@#$ WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST THEM!$^@#$% HAVE YOU NO SOUL??!#@$^$##
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Lol! I know, I am such a SPOILED BITCH, I shud totally DIE until I am DEAD!!!!!1!!!!
Sorry, I’m one of the open-fire-snuggling people! Although, mostly I love winter because there is no real possibility of sunburn and much less sweatiness on the Underground
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Maybe it’s just the lack of an open fire that’s at the root of my hatred of winter?
and I thought Canadian winters were hellish…
I have to say, coming from exactly the same area as Caroline, that I couldn’t disagree more strongly. hehe. I have spent the last week complaining to anyone who will listen (not many people, as it happens!) about the impending winter (or impending doom as is more applicable). The summer/autumn fruit season is it’s only saving grace, and the occasional snow days – but other than that, winter is godawful!
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It is the tail end of our summer here in Canada (speaking of winter – I will definitely post some photos of our upcoming, inhumane weather conditions.) I’d love to enjoy the last few days of skirt-wearing, short-sleeves temperatures.
However, I work in an office, and they have decided that September 1 is a great time to set the temperature at about 16. I have a violent attack of the shivers every few minutes. I can’t believe we’re wasting what is left of the summer by pretending its already autumn.
I just thought about the upcoming wind-chill factors. Do the weathermen/woman use that term in Scotland as well? “It’s a balmy 12 today in Toronto, but with the wind chill factor, it feels like negative 4.”
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Oh, and I don’t think the lack of an open fire is why you hate winter.
We have one, but you can’t really spend all day huddled in the parlour, can you? Eventually you have to branch out into the kitchen or bathroom and then the fire is quickly forgotten.
Laura´s last blog ..Bought, Braved: Brazilian Wax
I know what you mean. I am totally in the “I love autumn!” phase, but when winter kicks in I’ll be drying my tears. Or rather, chipping them off my face with a windshield scraper.
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You could move to another country, perhaps? (That’s my next plan anyway! There’s such a big world out there…. ) .. at least we don’t have those 24 hour blackout winters like they have in some parts of Scandinavia. That would be far too catastrophic, imo.
Winters in Chicago are probably much like those in Scotland, and honestly, every time I read a post about your walks and see photos of CASTLES I wish I could live in Scotland so I could walk in places like that! I hate the lack of truly “old” things in America, so despite the weather issues in Scotland, (I dread winter as much as you do) I’m jealous
I think long walks kicking up crisp Autmn leaves while wearing a lovely cashmere scarf sounds fantastic! Unfortuneately, I think Southeast Alaska has a similar climate to Scotland, and the long walks consist of slogging through wet brown leaves and mud and no one can see your new scarf because you had to tuck it inside your raincoat so it wouldn’t be ruined.
At least we had a decent summer for once. Maybe the memory can get me through to Feburary, with a week in Vegas to look forward to. That’s my advice, start planning your next vacation now!
Poor Amber… you should come to Washington (USA) for the fall, it’s the most gorgeous season over here. (And I just so happen to have an open fireplace, so if you ever come…)
Wait, do you mean Washington, DC or Washington state? If you mean the state, I think Amber gets plenty of rain already and it’s not nice to deceive her like that. ;p (I’m thrilled to finally be spending my fall and winter away from the land of rain and coffee, can you tell?)
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Wanna trade homes in August next year? Cause I tells ya, we spent most of August in a freaking SAUNA! It was 95+ up until yesterday. Still, the second New Year’s is over, I’m reday for the heat.
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You should move to Australia during the winter months so you can have year-long summer.
Anna´s last blog ..Annoying thing.
I know your not interested in Australia because of the long flight, but I agree with Anna, you totally need to visit here for the winter. Lets face it, you could rent a house for months and keep running your business just fine!
If we ever become rich enough to do that
As well as the flight we also have family here in the UK, though, so moving to the other side of the world for months is something that’s just never going to happen. AND I hate flying.
I’m loving the fact I’m from Australia so instead I’m going into Spring. If it makes you feel any better it’s still feeling like Winter here though but stupid me keeps attempting to wear dresses on the odd warm days but I’m afraid my white legs are blinding everyone.
And here I was today, complaining because only got up to about 29C where I am (Southeastern US.) I think I’ll count my blessings now.
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