Summer Is A Comin' In...

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Now doesn't it seem odd to write (and read!) that title on the day after Halloween, which is not only all about "ghosties and ghoulies, long-leggetie beasties, And things that go bump in the night" (and also books that do the same!) but also about autumn and the year closing in.

That's because the origins of Halloween are strongly centered in the cultures and traditions of the Northern Hemisphere, but here in the Southern Hemisphere (as I explained in last month's post, Halloween Is Coming) 31 October is the cusp between spring and summer.

Hence the title of this post, because right now summer "is" a coming in — and to prove it, here are a few photos from my garden:

Poppy splendor

First artichokes of the season

Wisteria in bloom...

But there's still a place for 'books that go bump' in the lengthening summer twilights, so north or south, we have that goodness to share...

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Helen Lowe is a novelist, poet, and blogger whose first novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. Her second, The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012. The sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Daughter Of Blood, (The Wall Of Night, Book Three) is Helen's most recent book and she is currently working on the fourth and final novel in The Wall Of Night series. Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog and is also on Twitter: @helenl0we

December 1 approaches...

Photo courtesy of
www.yachtandboat.com.au

Can you believe it's only two weeks to winter/summer? Depending on where you live, of course.

Here in Australia, we're actually having a bit of a hard time believing it's almost Summer. We're in the middle of a bit of a cold snap at the moment, and the Spring rains have been more 'deluge' than 'refreshing' in some parts. All this just a few weeks after horrific bushfires.

Weather, huh?

On Twitter, I've seen people staring to talk about the build-up to Christmas. In particular, parents commenting on how the stupid end of year whirl has begun, with their relationship with their kids being reduced to little more than a bus driver. There's also been the now traditionally whinge about how early the shops get all the Christmas gear out. Actually, I think they were a little more laid-back this year - it was early to mid-November before it was really noticeable.

Do the shopping centres start decorating for Christmas that early in the US, or does Thanksgiving hold it back?

Lotsa folks have been saying December 1 is the day that Christmas observances can start. It's the earliest day that you can put up your Christmas tree, they opine. It's when the shops should put up their decorations. Anything earlier is a waste.

When you look at that depository of all wisdom, Wikipedia, it turns out December 1 is actually a pretty cool day. Here's some of the holidays/observances from around the world:

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Castritian
  • Eligius
  • Edmund Campion
  • Nicholas Ferrar (Episcopal Church (United States))
  • December 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Damrong Rajanubhab Day (Thailand)
• Earliest day on which Farmer's Day can fall, while December 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in December. (Ghana)
• Earliest day on which Good Neighborliness Day can fall, while December 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in December. (Turkmenistan)
• Freedom and Democracy Day (Chad)
• Great Union Day, celebrates the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918; since 1990, National Day (Romania)
• Military Abolition Day (Costa Rica)
• National Day (Burma)
• National Transit Tribute to Rosa Parks Day (American Public Transportation Association)
• Republic Day (Central African Republic)
• Restoration of Independence (Portugal)
• Self-governance Day or Fullveldisdagurinn (Iceland)
• Teachers' Day (Panama)
• World AIDS Day (International)
• Rosa Parks Day (United States)
• National Day (United Arab Emirates)

Personally, I love the idea of a Good Neighborliness Day - particularly as the stress of the end of the year grows. We all know that for some people, this is a really difficult time of the year, so a day put aside to being a good neighbour sounds awesome.

Christmas and everything just rushed at me last year. Work was extremely busy in December and I just didn't have a chance to stop and think about it and by the time it arrived, I wasn't ready and it was a bit of a dud, quite frankly. This year, December at work is going to be much calmer, so I am DETERMINED that I'm going to give Christmas and the end of the year the attention it deserves. It's going to be a party, my friends.

How about you? Are you looking forward to December?