Autumnal Thoughts........

Tiki Tom said:

Finally! It started snowing! The yard is already all white. Should continue off and on through tonight and tomorrow morning. Mrs Tiki and I ran our errands this morning before it started. And our daughter flew back to college last Sunday. So we have nothing to do this Saturday afternoon but sit by the window and watch it snow. Lovely.

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Because of the Tiki moniker I forget that you are in Vienna, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, indeed the world! You are very lucky: it’s a city I enjoy visiting and could quite happily live as the quality of life is far better than London. I haven’t been there in the snow but will do so sometime!
The Tiki name makes me think more of Hawaii, where I admire the traditional culture (although there isn’t as much left of it as I would wish) but as a cold weather lover find the climate uncongenial.

Ticklishchap said:

Because of the Tiki moniker I forget that you are in Vienna, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, indeed the world! You are very lucky: it’s a city I enjoy visiting and could quite happily live as the quality of life is far better than London.

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It's a curious trait, but as much as I loved living in London, I far prefer the space and air quality of living on the Hampshire, Dorset borders, at the edge of The New Forest. We actually enjoy London so much more now, visiting friends and family, going to shows and sports events, but it's so nice to come home. I remember last November looking out over the forest, there was a small herd of red deer, it's rare to see these shy animals in the daytime, my missus smiled and said that they were putting on weight as they get ready to pull Santa's sleigh.

Ticklishchap said:

The Tiki name makes me think more of Hawaii, where I admire the traditional culture (although there isn’t as much left of it as I would wish) but as a cold weather lover find the climate uncongenial.

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Acclimating to Hawaii's humidity can prove a trial.

Harp said:

Acclimating to Hawaii's humidity can prove a trial.

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... Even for you, who know Vietnam! I wanting a TV programme a few days ago about the Unification Express and discovered (among other things) that the factory in Hanoi that used to make uniforms for the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong now makes high end shirts for the Western market and clothes the US Olympic Team. How times change. ...

Hanoi had a lot of French-influenced architecture and apparently is cool in the autumn, which would probably be a very beautiful time to visit.

GHT said:

It's a curious trait, but as much as I loved living in London, I far prefer the space and air quality of living on the Hampshire, Dorset borders, at the edge of The New Forest. We actually enjoy London so much more now, visiting friends and family, going to shows and sports events, but it's so nice to come home. I remember last November looking out over the forest, there was a small herd of red deer, it's rare to see these shy animals in the daytime, my missus smiled and said that they were putting on weight as they get ready to pull Santa's sleigh.

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The New Forest is very beautiful. I have a family connection with Winchester and manage a property in Hampshire, which means I know the area well and like it.
I agree with you about London, where I have lived for most of my life. For many years I lived in the centre and I am thankful each day now that I live in the outer suburbs, because at least there is some sense of space and the temperatures are a few degrees lower at all times of year. Central London has become more and more overcrowded and polluted - I still have to work there sometimes - and it gets stiflingly hot in summer. The Underground is becoming increasingly like a circle of Hell. In fact public transport in general is hellish, both because it is so inefficient and crowded and because so many Londoners now seem to lack an awareness of basic personal hygiene. Only the Chinese and other people from East and South-East Asia seem to be exceptions to this.

London is also IMHO a lot less cultured than it was in the 70s, 80s and 90s. One reason for this is that so many working class Londoners, who had a strong sense of community and pride in their city and were its cultural backbone, have moved out. It's not just white working class Londoners: Chinatown is now unaffordable to most of London's Chinese and their businesses are closing or moving out. The result of all this is much less cultural variety. There's a trashy international jet set culture, a puritanical 'woke' culture among the declining middle class, coupled with extreme economic and social inequality. Over the past four years, there has been a very marked decline in civility and the rise of nihilistic and destructive crime, a lot of which shows a real indifference to human life. There's also a fatalism I have never seen before in this city: an acceptance of overcrowding, bad service and violent crime as inevitable facts of life. Overall there are now many of the characteristics of a Third World city, which is incredibly sad.

I spent time in Bristol recently and found it a complete contrast: cosmopolitan, with a spirit of friendliness and integration rather than identity politics, greater economic equality, better air quality and a few degrees cooler than London so that summer (when I was there) wasn't an Inferno. ... The best features of London without the downside.

As much as I like the Yankee Candles, but the fragrance is so strong concentrated.

How long do you burn them? Half an hour is ok to me, but a full hour on closed windows is too much. Man, you get a huge amount of fragrance for the money!
And I have the XXL-glass!

Ticklishchap said:

London is also IMHO a lot less cultured than it was in the 70s, 80s and 90s. One reason for this is that so many working class Londoners, who had a strong sense of community and pride in their city and were its cultural backbone, have moved out. It's not just white working class Londoners: Chinatown is now unaffordable to most of London's Chinese and their businesses are closing or moving out. The result of all this is much less cultural variety. There's a trashy international jet set culture, a puritanical 'woke' culture among the declining middle class, coupled with extreme economic and social inequality. Over the past four years, there has been a very marked decline in civility and the rise of nihilistic and destructive crime, a lot of which shows a real indifference to human life. There's also a fatalism I have never seen before in this city: an acceptance of overcrowding, bad service and violent crime as inevitable facts of life. Overall there are now many of the characteristics of a Third World city, which is incredibly sad.

.

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Don't worry, Londinium is set to become a new Singapore & once the tax avoiding millionaires flood in, they'll outprice the Riff-Raff & London will become a crime free haven of peace.

Lean'n'mean said:

Don't worry, Londinium is set to become a new Singapore & once the tax avoiding millionaires flood in, they'll outprice the Riff-Raff & London will become a crime free haven of peace.

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... And the Moon is made of green cheese!

Ticklishchap said:

... And the Moon is made of green cheese!

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No, yellow cheese, it's been scientifically proven.

Returning to the seasonal theme, I was speaking on the 'phone to an old friend in another part of the country a week or so ago and, being a keen gardener, he told me in tones of crazed, early spring-induced excitement that 'the daffodils are out now'. 'I hate daffodils,' I replied deadpan, and to be honest I used an ungentlemanly expletive as well. It was the first time I had articulated this dislike or even been fully aware of it, and I found it strangely liberating. And so I shall say it again: I really hate daffodils!

Interesting! I never liked the yellow narcissuses, too. I always found, they look stupid.

In Germany, they are called "Easterbells".

Trenchfriend said:

Interesting! I never liked the yellow narcissuses, too. I always found, they look stupid.

In Germany, they are called "Easterbells".

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Daffodils or 'Easterbells' in this country are seen as signifiers of winter giving way to spring. You will hear English weather forecasters proclaim in their faux-plebeian accents that there have been 'sightings' of daffodils and there is the expectation that everyone will jump up and down and scream with excitement (English reserve is a thing of the past, by the way: a large part of the population is now continuously screaming). Therefore as well as being innately ugly, daffodils are symbols of meteorological correctness, or the sense that you 'have to' or 'should' look forward to longer days and warmer temperatures.

Does anyone else feel exhausted and worn down at the end of summer? This always happens to me and if anything is worse this year as summer seemed to begin earlier than usual.
Autumn (Fall) seems within reach now. I can't wait!

Ticklishchap said:

Does anyone else feel exhausted and worn down at the end of summer? This always happens to me and if anything is worse this year as summer seemed to begin earlier than usual.
Autumn (Fall) seems within reach now. I can't wait!

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Ticklish, you beat me to it. Just this morning as I was going to work, I thought the sunlight on a particular building looked somehow autumnal. My wife is back at school teaching already. Younger child has returned to the States for the fall semester. Fall 2020 is right around the corner. I'm a little bit in mourning about the summer. I feel that I did not have a proper summer. We did not really take a vacation this year, but stayed nearby because Austria warned against foreign travel. (Listen how spoiled I sound. I do appreciate that a vacation is a luxury.) We took a one week "staycation", but I'm not sure that counts. We continue to hunker down and have no future travel planned either. Waiting to see what the autumn and winter look like. One of our favorite autumn events, Wien Wein Wandertag --essentially a grape harvest/wine festival-- has already been cancelled. Technically, a few weeks of summer remain. But it is definitely starting to feel like something is starting to change. Let's hope it is for the better.

Ticklishchap said:

Does anyone else feel exhausted and worn down at the end of summer? This always happens to me and if anything is worse this year as summer seemed to begin earlier than usual.
Autumn (Fall) seems within reach now. I can't wait!

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The summer heat does tend to take it's toll & after 2 distinct grueling heatwaves I am looking forward to more reasonable weather,, when I can do the things I want to without fainting or being drenched in sweat.
Since the 21st century has been upon us, september tends to be a continuation of august, albeit with cooler nights, so we don't see any real autumnal weather until mid-october at the earliest.
Spring this year sorta started in december of last year, so it's difficult to stay focused on just what time of year it is at the moment anyway. The plants on the other hand, despite an unprecedented early start, seem to have caught up & are behaving normally for the season.

Autumn is rolling on, in old Germany. With stronger winds and cold nights. Very enjoyable!

Ticklishchap said:

Does anyone else feel exhausted and worn down at the end of summer? This always happens to me and if anything is worse this year as summer seemed to begin earlier than usual.
Autumn (Fall) seems within reach now. I can't wait!

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With all the covid mess that started back in the spring, I was pretty well exhausted and worn down before summer even got started good. We've at least til late October before it starts to cool appreciably around here, anyway, but I am more than ready for it. The last few mornings have been pleasant, I suspect more from all the rain the storms in the Gulf are pushing in than from any actual seasonal change, but it's been enough to give me hope. I'm very much looking forward to a drop in temperatures and the changing color of the leaves.

Late summer, nights getting colder, morning light already has that golden autumnal tone, morning mist over harvested fields...
Can’t wait to hear the cranes calling again, flying southwards over my house...
Love the colder seasons.

Ticklishchap said:

Does anyone else feel exhausted and worn down at the end of summer? This always happens to me and if anything is worse this year as summer seemed to begin earlier than usual.
Autumn (Fall) seems within reach now. I can't wait!

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Yep, August has finally reared its hot, ugly face here in Chicagoland. All the grass is browned, and the heat is no bueno. I'm so sick of it that last night I pulled my Bean boots out from storage and stuck them in my closet.

Turnip said:

Late summer, nights getting colder, morning light already has that golden autumnal tone, morning mist over harvested fields...
Can’t wait to hear the cranes calling again, flying southwards over my house...
Love the colder seasons.

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Cooler nights and golden sun hues, thankfully, have been among the blessings of late summer. Though, the California fires have certainly helped bring out more golden sunsets, though my heart goes out to those experiencing the devastation.

Tiki Tom said:

Ticklish, you beat me to it. Just this morning as I was going to work, I thought the sunlight on a particular building looked somehow autumnal. My wife is back at school teaching already. Younger child has returned to the States for the fall semester. Fall 2020 is right around the corner. I'm a little bit in mourning about the summer. I feel that I did not have a proper summer. We did not really take a vacation this year, but stayed nearby because Austria warned against foreign travel. (Listen how spoiled I sound. I do appreciate that a vacation is a luxury.) We took a one week "staycation", but I'm not sure that counts. We continue to hunker down and have no future travel planned either. Waiting to see what the autumn and winter look like. One of our favorite autumn events, Wien Wein Wandertag --essentially a grape harvest/wine festival-- has already been cancelled. Technically, a few weeks of summer remain. But it is definitely starting to feel like something is starting to change. Let's hope it is for the better.

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Thanks for that Tiki, and wishing your younger child lots of luck with the fall semester in these strange times. Interesting times, indeed, in several ways in the US. I am certainly not 'in mourning' for Summer as it is the one season I really don't connect well with. I am looking forward to Autumn, which is gradually, tentatively taking hold. ... Vienna, where you are based, is beautiful in the Autumn: I was there in late Autumn a few years back and loved the colours and the light. I look forward to returning there as soon as travel becomes easier and more relaxed once again.