Summer moved on...

Well, autumn has definitely arrived in Stockholm. Already the days are shorter and chillier. Evenings of sitting outside and enjoying a glass of wine are fewer and fewer as the autumn chill creeps in.

The tenants' association for the building I live in hosted an autumn garden party at the weekend. I managed an hour of sitting outside before I began to shiver and had to bail. It was just too chilly for me, and I was a wee bit too tired after a day of translating to focus on speaking Swedish without feeling like my mouth and brain weren't always connecting.

I usually love autumn in Stockholm, but this year it's a bit depressing. After such a wet summer, it would have been nice with a more gradual shift into autumn. But already at the end of August it was getting to chilly to sit outside. And the rain we suffered through in June and July has hung in there for September. We normally tell our friends that September is the best time to visit Stockholm--usually it's quite sunny and dry, though not as warm as it can be in August. But this year we haven't advised anyone to come here. The damp air we've had lately doesn't feel the least bit welcoming. I've already seen people donning winter coats, thought it's nowhere near cold enough for a parka yet!

But it's soon time to prepare for the winter darkness. I've stocked up on candles, renewed my Friskis och Svettis card, bought new sweaters to keep me warm, got loads of romantic comedies to cheer me up should the winter blues wear me down.

I shouldn't even say the "w" word...but there was a picture in the paper today of men playing golf in Dalarna and there was snow on the ground! Snow! And it's only the 16th of September. Luckily it will be a while before we Stockholmers get any snow. Last year, we had our first snow fall on 1 November. Traffic chaos abounded. Luckily, I had on my curling boots and my duffel coat. I hardly noticed the snow--but I did notice all the accidents on the road. I was glad I was walking then! Didn't have to worry about changing tires or sliding on ice...

Brrrr! Just thinking about ice and snow is making me cold... I'm just going to sit at my desk and channel images of Umbria in the summer sun for a while...