Original picture:Zeinab Ghassemi (Pexels)
Even though I know it is dark outside, I open the curtains. I can’t see much except the rain which sparkles on the window, reflecting the street light; a nightscape of melting stars. Sunrise is still two hours away. I close the curtains and go back to bed!
This was a few mornings ago and now it seems like the shorter days and longer nights are gaining ground, quicker than I had expected.
After rainy days, mists!
Opening the curtains No trees can be seen; Morning mist! Morning mist, Hides the pond; Plop!
Original picture: Arina Krasnikova (Pexels)
In a couple of days time, it will be Samhain, the ending and beginning of the Celtic New Year. Some also see November as the start of winter and certainly here on these islands, British Summer Time will end when we turn our clocks back by one hour on the last day of October.
The change in the amount of light means we will adjust, perhaps unconsciously, to the earth’s dark and mysterious energies.
To all my readers, happy inner journeys!
A Different View 
Beautifully worded, Ashley, the start of early winter!
Thank you.
Joanna
Hi Joanna, thank you! Don’t forget to put the clock back this weekend 💐💖😊🙋♂️
The scene sounds familiar even though we are on opposite side of the Atlantic.
Hello Chris! Thanks for dropping by! Rain, mist, wind….ice, snow? Keep pedalling! 🚴♂️
Gosh, I haven’t pedaled in a while. But I’m walking lots.
Happy Inner Journeys to you too, Ashley!
I’m beginning to love this time of year – a time of darkness and mystery, mists and a spirited wind scattering the autumn leaves in its wake, It’s joy to be in the woods just now.
Love your poem, Ashley. The word ‘plop’ is delightful as are frogs. 😀
Dear Lesley, in the mist, sounds play with our imagination. I’m glad you liked my linked verses! Thank you for your comments. Have a lovely weekend 💐🙋♂️
You too, Ashley. Your poem reminded me of “The old pond/A frog leaps in./Sound of the water.” by Basho. ☔🙌
Shorter days, longer nights, white and dark, mists in between. Cold. Lovely coming winter to you dear Ashley.
Narayan x
Many thanks, Narayan, for visiting my blog. I look forward to the cold of winter; as I put on another layer of clothing, the cold strips away the old leaves of the tree to make way for next years buds.
Ah, how beautifully written, Ashley! Our DST is also going back to …normal too. A change I always look forward to! 😉🌻
Dear Marina, thank you for your lovely comments. Yes, back to real-time 😊 and to the magic of winter 🤗💐🙋♂️
My pleasure! We’re enjoying the first day of ‘real-time’! Bliss! 🌟🙏🎵
Shorter day and longer nights, you write it with lovely words, Ashley. Changing the time is so confusing, but it is supposed to be beneficial. Enjoy that extra hour at night and brace yourself for darker evenings. I enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate and a candle, that is cosy for me!
Hi Ute, thank you for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments. Tomorrow we will be back in real-time so yes, we will have a few days where the evenings will feel a little lighter. Hot chocolate and a good book, me too! 💐🙋♂️
A time to switch from outer to inner exploration. Evocative poem. I’d forgotten about the clocks this weekend.
My daughters tell me off for reminding them to change the clocks, “it’s all automatic nowadays” they tell me! Indeed! How the world has changed since I was a boy 🤔🙋♂️
I have the unfortunate habit of collecting and fixing up old clocks, so my house is full of them. I have quite a job going round changing them all, and I always forget one.
Hey Fraxinus! I enjoyed your linked hokku verses and hope you didn’t really fall into the pond. ha I will transplant these verses into our Garden, asap. To me, and many other people, winter begins on Nov. 1st (as your post points out). My friends think I’m a Pagan, but I’m not. I’m religionless and simply divide my calendar in a similar way to them. According to this Earth-Sol calendar, the new year will begin on the winter solstice. It’s a natural calendar that is determined by the earth-sun relationship. It makes more sense than the one we use, today. Here’s some info on that calendar:
http://edleathers4.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-wheel-of-year.html
Keep writing, Frax-sama and I’ll keep reading. Thanks again for the verses!
Many thanks, Edo, I will have to check that link out! The days of the pagan are long gone (?), so I really ought to follow your earth-sol calendar. I’d been reading about the 72 Japanese micro seasons when I found Lev Parikian’s new book on the same subject but seen through modern British eyes. There is a quiet humour in it, as the title suggests: “Light Rains Sometimes Fall”. As I’m reading it a micro season-chapter at a time, it will take a year to read! 😊🙋♂️
Lovely post, Ashley. We are on the same wavelength with our post subjects this week! Happy Autumn to you & your beautiful soul. 🌞
Dear Lisa, bless you. Thank you for your lovely comment 🎋💝🙋♂️
I like the seasons. I also like the time when it’s darker, more mysterious and quieter. I like the colorful leaves, the rustling of the wind and the smell of wet earth.
Ashley, it’s a pleasure to read your wonderful poem right now.
Thanks again for the verses!
Enjoy the fall, Ashley 🍂 🍁!
Greetings from Germany…..Rosie
Dear Rosie, thank you for your lovely words about my post. I have tended to favour spring and summer but in recent years have realised a very deep attraction of the autumn/winter seasons. Dark and mysterious, and raw. Elemental! Have a lovely Sunday 🎋💐🙋♂️
Dear Ashley,
Like you, I have a much greater affinity with the cooler seasons.
If I had to choose between summer or winter, I shall always go for the latter, as I detest summer heat and enjoys the 4Cs: Cool Climate Creature Comfort
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle
Many thanks for your comments. Have a happy healthy New Year! Stay cool 🙋♂️
Dear Ashley,
Thank you for your New Year spirit in celebration of 2021 coming to the end and in your looking forward to the new year. I have just published a new and special post entitled “🎊 Season’s Greetings: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 🎄🎅☃️” to celebrate the festive season. The post combines art, graphics, poems, music and animations. May you relish my new post to your heart’s content, as I have yours.
The direct link to the post is:
https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2021/12/25/seasons-greetings-merry-christmas-happy-holidays-and-happy-new-year/
I hope that you will thoroughly enjoy the animations featured at my said post. If you were to visit my said post in situ, then you would be pleasantly surprised by a great number of extra features that cannot be seen via the WordPress Reader.
I would also like to inform you that when you visit my blog, it is preferrable to use a desktop or laptop computer with a large screen to view the rich multimedia contents available for heightening your multisensory enjoyment at my blog, which could be too powerful and feature-rich for iPad, iPhone, tablet or other portable devices to handle properly or adequately. Please enjoy your visiting my blog at this festive season and let me know what you think via commenting once you are there browsing to your heart’s content!
In addition, please turn on your finest speakers or headphones, as my aforementioned festive post will be playing music to you automatically for about two minutes.
Wishing you a Happy New Year ☃️🎅!
May you find 2022 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your travelling, writing, reading, thinking and blogging whatever topics that take your intellectual fancy and creative whim!
Take care and prosper!
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle
Beautiful poem marking the ending and beginning of the new year. Blessings to you and your family. 🌺🙋♀️💛
Thank you, Morag, for your lovely comment. It is a lovely bright sunny day here with a fresh breeze, great for a walk. Blessings to you and your family too.💐🙋♂️
Thank you so much, to you too.
It always seems so sudden when the days get shorter, but they always do! It’s time to get ready for winter… 🙂
Hi Meg, lovely to hear from you. Although it’s a lovely bright day here the wind is cold, reminding us that winter is here! Brrrr! 💐🙋♂️
Not much mist here yet, but some lovely autumn light and some torrential rain! Enjoy the coming season Ashley.
Thanks, Andrea! This morning was bright and breezy, just right for a brisk walk. However, this afternoon the winds are whipping up sharp cold rain. I’ll stay indoors now. 💐🙋♂️
Time flies. It’s really the end of autumn. I remember just a week ago, I was turning on the air conditioning. Unbelievable. Halloween ends it all. I pray there’s no harsh winter storm in the forecast.
The way the climate is behaving who knows what the weather will be like this winter. Keep well 💐🙋♂️
Happy day every day Ashley! No matter how dark or light,
wet or dry, do it with a smile!
great post my friend, Eddie
Oh Eddie, thank you for visiting and your smiling words 😊
Beautifully written! Yes end of Autumn.🎉🙂
Thank you, Priti, for your lovely comment. 🌹🙋♂️
My pleasure 🙂💓☺🌹Stay happy and blessed.
In my opinion, this blog is a great example of haibun poetry. Your haiku/hokku enhances your prose, if you want to call your narrative prose…I would, but I’m not an expert. Whatever you call it, I enjoy your posts, Fraxinus! Hope you are enjoying the beginning of winter. Keep writing!
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-haibun-poetry#6-examples-of-haibun
Thanks, Edo, for your encouraging words! I’ve not looked into Haibun, so I appreciate the link you have given. Winter so far is great; fresh winds and bright sunshine, and still the oak hangs onto its leaves! Keep well, hokku-bro! 🙋♂️
My dog doesn’t like the time change…seasons do give me a guaranteed rhythm and I’m grateful for that…thanks for sharing Ashley ~ sending joy hedy ☺️💫🕊
Indeed, Hedy, the rhythm of the seasons is what fascinates me. I’m sorry to hear about your dog not liking the time change….does he/she wake you earlier for walkies? 🚶♀️🙋♂️