The autumnal equinox is upon us, so celebrate this day in honor of the harvest and in preparation for the winter ahead. Or rejoice in Mabon, the Witch’s Thanksgiving, if you are so inclined
Autumn has certainly made itself known to us today, as a chilling rain has blanketed the city, and the sky is gray as far as the eye can see, beyond the Thermaic Gulf and onto Mt. Olympus. Even the gods would have stayed on their mountain throne today, indulging in nectar and ambrosia, rather than brave their way out in this miserable clime. Zeus is granting no favors today.
Oddly, a few lingering swallows still remain. They still dart in and around the tallest rooftops of the city, chirping cheerfully and reminding us of the summer that is now lost between the leaves of the year. I imagine soon the rest will find their way to the warmer shores along Africa, to perch at the tips of pyramids and fly recklessly through the desert, singing their happy songs. I will miss them during the long, lonely months of winter, and will revel in their return in the spring.
For now, I shall enjoy the autumn as it is - the rest after the harvest, a warm cider, the company of family and friends. Life is good.
3 comments:
"Life is good." - Not if you live in a town where there is no cider available, it isn't!!! :-)
Ah, well, yes the absence of cider *can* be a problem.
What I miss here most in the fall is gingerbread.
In Hanioti in Halkidiki 10 days ago I found a new Irish cider - by the name of Magners - sold in the bottle (568ml, not the weedy 275 or 330ml size supermarkets in Grecee often sell foreign beers/ciders in). This cider has been a big hit in the UK, quickly rivalling the UK's top cider, Strongbow, and is served in a pint-glass *over ice*... Marvellous stuff. The Hanioti supermarket (Milios, I think, near the Stones bar) was selling it at EUR4.20 a bottle, not bad considering it sells in pubs at about UKP2.80 a bottle in Britain (about EUR4.00). Very little hope, though, of Magners Cider ever reaching Kilkis - unless it is in the back of my car on the way back from Hanioti...
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