September: more late summer than early autumn

There are two ways of defining a season; by calendar date and by weather. Astronomical autumn runs from autumn equinox (23 September this year) to winter solstice (22 December). Meteorological autumn is a simple three-month bloc spanning September, October and November. Climatic or thermal autumn is defined not by calendar but by temperature. Here in Central Europe, climatic autumn is said to begin when the mean daily air temperature falls and remains between 5°C and 15°C. We are still a long way from there! Nighttime temperatures have yet to fall below 10°C, and tomorrow we can expect more blue skies and a daytime high of 29°C. 

Summer seems to be stretching out; from late-May to mid-September. Nice, but be careful of what we wish for!

There's no sense of impending autumn yet. No morning mists, no profusion of spiders' webs or mushrooms; summer draws on, though the days are getting shorter. Each day is four minutes shorter than the one before. Just after the summer solstice, in late June/early July, the shortening of the day was imperceptible – a matter of seconds. Equinox and equilux are a fortnight away, by which time we will have lost another hour of daylight.

Above and left: mythical, protean Jakubowizna, able to snap to 1950s Ohio in the blink of an eye, and then back again. Kodacolor nostalgia for a time and a place that is more familiar to me than the physical realm should allow for.

Below: the same klimat continues north of the DK50 in Nowe Grobice. Here is ulica Główna looking peaceful and prosperous. Look at the pavements! Marvel at the progress! The quality of life in rural Poland has been raised so quickly, so tangibly. No room for complacency, however. When things are good, be conscious of it and be grateful for that.

Below: the sweet September rain. Caught in a brief shower on Sunday. The water-resistant jacket in the rucksack is donned, then taken off as soon the shower passes, as it remains one-layer weather; two layers are uncomfortably hot.

    

Below: here is Chynów, note the stragany (market stalls) along the left-hand side of ul. Wolska. Traditional retail continues to compete and reminds me of rural France.

Left: hops growing wild on the edge of a field of maize (kukurydza) along ulica Miodowa. The farm on the other side of the road used to grow hops commercially; its owner said that her father decided to replace hop cultivation with an apple orchard after the war. But the hops carried on growing wild, nevertheless. I gather hop cones and boil them (about 20 to a litre of water) for ten minutes; once the liquid has cooled, I refrigerate it to mix with water one to one for a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage with a strong taste of IPA.

Below: sloes, fruit of the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). There's a profusion of these plum-related single-seeded fruit in the neighbourhood this year. I pick after first frost, prick the skins with thorns from the same bush, and steep in spirytus rektyfikowany with a little sugar, and leave for a couple of months. Result: sloe gin. 

Thanks to Bob for his 200mm macro Nikkor lens, used for the photo above and the sunset photo below. A superbly sharp lens.

A photo-based post cannot be complete without at least one cat pic! Below: on my rear patio, surrounded by vine leaves, Wiktor gazes admiringly at his mum, Céleste. (There will be grapes this month, but not in any profusion. Enough for a bottle or two of white wine.)

This time three years ago:
Mycelial roots of coincidence

This time four years ago:
Personal reflections upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II
[I still find myself saying 'Her Majesty's Government' to this day!]

This time seven years ago
Best sandwich ever

This time eight years ago:
Pictures of Warsaw

This time 12 years ago:
Scotland's independence referendum looms

This time 14 years ago:
Summer comes crashing to a halt

This time 15 years ago:
The atmosphere of an impending autumn – Mono no aware

This time 16 years ago:
Time to recycle.

This time 19 years ago:
Coal train running