Thursday, October 7, 2010

Shorter days

Out on the terrace, things have started to happen more slowly. In July, a rose lasts a day. In October, it stays open for three. They take longer to bloom, too, so that buds on the shrubs today might only open in two weeks. Strawberries are still ripening, but do not blush red within a day, as they did in the heat. Now it takes several for a fat white fruit to turn pale orange, full orange, then red.

As I typed the last sentence I heard geese calling in the night sky. I went out and stood on the terrace looking up at the dark and the stars but could not see them. They were headed dead south. I have always hoped that they might be snow geese when I hear them every year. It is a high, heartsore sound. The sound of seasons turning, countries calling, homes remembered, life passing.

Or perhaps it's just the sound of being left behind, and the desire to follow.

7 comments:

  1. The snow geese are so beautiful, they come and visit our farmlands of Skagit Valley in NW Washington.

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  2. Damn! You've made my eyes leak.
    (But thankyou, anyway)

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  3. I'm with the geese...down south ;-)

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  4. I hope you see the snow geese someday. To me, they appear to glitter in flight. Once at Bombay Hook in DE, we saw over 100,000 get up off the water all at once. Sounded like a jet plane in the best way.

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  5. That blue sky looks amazing. Somehow when I take photos here the sky always seems to be so washed out. Is it my camera or does the NY sky really look that different? PS I am going to try the beer tip. The last leaves of what is left of my salad heads have turned brown - so I must discard them and plant some new ones first. Hmmmm, garden snails in garlicky dressing? No, I don't think so! I would much rather go for boerewors ...

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  6. sherri - I have never seen a snow goose...

    dinah - the geese did that to me, so blame them :-)

    anyes - lucky you!

    Paul - jeepers. Sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. How does one count so many geese? I'm hopeless at estimating numbers when I see large flocks.

    anairam - here, in July the sky looks white, often. I don't think it's the cameras; it depends where the sun is relative what you're shooting, behind you being best, as well as time of day. But the time of year also makes a big difference - September and October, autumn here, have deep blue skies.

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  7. H of the world.i, Just read a wonderful book, called" The Snow Geese" by William Fiennes.
    A profoundly moving account of joy returning, of one man's rediscovering

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