First Signs of Fall

H&M sweater
Lc Chateau skirt (c/o) (similar)
Zara boots (similar)
Chanel handbag
RayBan sunglasses
Linjer rings (c/o)
Linjer earrings (c/o)
Location: Birks – Winnipeg, Manitoba

The first signs of fall came early this year. I remember coming to the end of a run abruptly in early August, when a dry brown leaf fell suddenly from a tree above me, landing beween the frame of my glasses and my eye. It seemed early for leaves to be falling, I thought to myself – maybe it was because it had been so hot? Fall couldn’t be starting so soon. But the temperature dipped that week, down from the mid-thirties to the mid-twenties. It never went back up again. Leaves kept falling. The temperature fell a little lower for every one of my subsequent runs – when I went out this past Saturday morning, it was only seven degrees.

The funny thing about the change of seasons is that at times, they happen so swiftly and subtly that you almost don’t notice. I spent half of April, all of May and most of June waiting less than patiently for summer heat and sunshine to arrive. They did, suddenly, seemingly almost over night – and then disappeared just as quickly halfway through the month of August. The first signs of fall showed from one day to the next, and I’ve been in sweaters for weeks already. On more than one occasion, I’ve been forced, reluctantly, to put on my leather jacket or trench coat.

There is a lot of love about fall, of course. Tumbling, crunching leaves – when they don’t hit you in the face – are always lovely. And there is a certain pleasure in wrapping yourself in a chunky sweater and cozy scarf to take a walk on a cool, sunny day before the snow starts to fall. I love a spicy chai latte with almond milk as much as anyone. But I am a summer girl, and always have been. My earliest winter memories are of finding the season long and dismal. “Do you remember,” I asked my dad once, when I was about three, while I watched him shovel snow, “when it was summer?” Already, at that age, the winter months felt so long to me that I worried summer might never come again…

…so when it slips away from me, replaced by signs of a fall a full month before the calendar says that the new season should begin, I can’t help but feel a bit defeated. I’m trying to console myself with the thought of adding to my fall wardrobe. Chunky sweaters and ankle boots rarely fail to increase my excitement for autumn, but they aren’t really working for me this year. The solid five days of rain we experienced last week didn’t help. I found myself counting the minutes until our departure for Athens, something I try never to do. I don’t want to wish my life away. But some parts of life are, admittedly, more exciting than others – and take place in more temperate climates, too. Faced with the choice between premature fall in Winnipeg and late summer sunshine in Greece, I can hardly blame myself for picking Greece.

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