Last Day of Summer

It’s not the last day of August. I’m not thinking of the autumnal equinox either. There’s this one day every autumn when I get the distinct feeling that’s the end of summer. Sometimes it sneaks up on me; other times it goes by unnoticed and later I regret it. But when I do notice it, I have my little ritual…

It’s often enough to look up from your computer, your desk or the countless other things that clutter your life, and you notice it… you feel it. Of course, checking that weather app on your phone to figure out for how long you can leave some flower pots outside might also prove helpful… That’s what reminded me that I could put off bringing in the plants, but I can’t “postpone” that final hot beautiful summer day of the year. So it was time for one more barefoot walk on the beach.

Clearly, I’m not the only one. Once the town and the beaches are all ours again, summer in September is definitely something we, locals, enjoy. There are people sunbathing or swimming; others are playing with their children; many are simply out for a walk, just like me. But the summer crowd is gone and everyone is minding their own business. Sandals in hand, I head for the shore. I want to burry my toes into wet sand and feel the waves on my skin one more time this year – it’s a long wait ‘till next summer.

There’s going to be another hot summer day, I often tell myself in September. I’ll go for a swim or a walk on the beach later, there’s still time. Then, before I know it, there’s snow on the beach… It feels like there’s never enough time. But procrastination is also an issue. What I’m trying to get to is the fact that when it comes to blogging, I’m a procrastinator lazy, although I normally detest postponing things. I view my blog as a relaxing hobby, so I refuse to put any pressure on myself when it comes to it. So when I have the time to write a post or two, I often decide there’s something more important to be done… something which cannot be postponed, unlike my little hobbies.

Again, what I am trying to say in a very roundabout way is that I occasionally still miss the WP challenges. Once read, the topic often resonated and there were times when that motivated me to post something I otherwise wouldn’t have. I moved on to Wordless Wednesday, so I’d keep sharing some of my photos. But it’s the “wordless” part that I sometimes mind… That’s why I’ve been considering occasionally taking part in the Lens-Artists weekly challenge. Several bloggers I follow have delighted me with their beautiful photos and words as contributions to the challenge, not to mention that I always appreciated the hosts’ photographic and writing skills. So here we are… for a few weeks, their topics stayed with me, they inspired me, but the posts didn’t make it past that draft folder my mind is these days.

That final summer day walk on the beach and some photos taken on that occasion were going to become a contribution to last week’s topic, Path. That didn’t happen. But Looking Up also ties into my train of thoughts; so even if I’m not extremely pleased with my photos, I’ll give this a try.

As usual, I’m not trying to be a photographer. I’m simply having some fun. Have a beautiful, bountiful and colourful autumn, everybody!