goodbye summer

wonder | wander | women love the change of seasons but this year autumn fell like evening, too fast. It feels like we were barely able to enjoy summer before it was already over. Still, we made the most of it while we could.

An afternoon drawing in a local park

When people try to portray memories they show scenes like clips in a video. This year our memories of summer are more like fragmented colours and sensations. Bright colours, cool breezes, scalding sunlight.

Herb Garden at Greenwich Park

Early in the summer we took a class on painting nature on the iPad - taking pictures out in nature and using measurements, drawing brushes, and colour observation to create accurate paintings of our favourite spots in local parks and neighbourhoods. It was an intensive but calming experience.

No tracing!

We had birthday picnics and meetups with friends in parks around the city, in and out of the sun. We shared pitta with houmous, scoops of ice cream, our favourite summer fruits.

Stratford Park

When we were feeling low or anxious, water brought us peace. London is home to the mighty Thames River, and full of marshes, wetlands and canals that we could sit and gaze at for as long as we wanted. After a long day of staring at screens and spreadsheets, it was so good to rest our eyes on living surfaces.

Pond observation deck at Camley Street Natural Park

We walked every day. We walked to museums and parks, we sat outside at cafes and street benches, anywhere we could catch some sunshine and summer breeze. We drank coffee, listened to performances and made new friends.

Kings Cross Summer Sounds festival

This year a dear friend who we had lost touch with got back in contact and invited us to visit them. So we were finally able to cross something off our wish list and see Switzerland for the first time! We look forward to writing more about that too.

Thun Lake and Castle

This year instead of tailing off gently, summer seemed to vanish into grey, chilly days. Maybe the weather will settle down and we can enjoy the colours of autumn soon. In the meantime we will cherish our memories of sunnier moments.