You can see it scurrying through the seasonal corridors shrieking “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date.”  The boffins are saying it’s about 6 weeks late, but it’s not Summers fault.  The blame for the tardiness of the season apparently lies firmly at the feet of last Autumn.  Oh how it lingered and tarried, unwilling to give up its place in the sun and went on for 6 weeks longer than the allocated slot in the calendar.

Spring did its best, but it is such a fragile season.  It allows itself to be bullied by Winter and in some situations (although not this year) is overtaken by Summer.  Losing six weeks to Winter dealt Spring a harsh blow, and all the seedlings in its care struggled to get going.  Every once and a while the Spring weather got a look in, but not often.  It seems to be the younger sibling of Winter and Summer and has been cast aside in a tug of war between the chilly Winter and scorching Summer as they seek the lime light.  Winter seems to be a bit of a bully and has had a stormy tantrum so everyone knows just how it feels at the injustice of it all! Poor old Spring is just standing by dazed and confused, having completely missed its slot in the calendar.

But now we are faced with a conundrum.  Does Summer get cut short to make up the time and get the calendar back on track or does it get its full share of the 13 weeks and allow the flibbertigibbet of a season Autumn to take the loss for its airy fairy ways that started this whole imbalance in the first place.  Here it is waiting in the wings, waiting to give a golden glow to leaves that are already brown and tired with wind burn, and dance us merrily into Winter completely unaware of the carnage it caused by lingering longer than it should have.

If the seasons were my children, Winter would be in time out and be banned from TV for an extended period for being such a bully.  Maybe even some charitable work at a garden centre so it can learn about the damage it has done to weaker seasons.  I’d always be cross with winter – he just doesn’t think about how he hurts people.

Spring – I’d pick it up and take it out for ice cream, and then go shopping for a nice party dress so it go on the seasonal stage and feel brave.  I’d even stand and the side lines and whisper what it is supposed to do.

Summer would be treated like the kid that was about to miss the school bus.  “What do you mean you can’t find your shoes?  You have had all morning, and don’t blame it on your brother.  He didn’t distract you, you allowed yourself to be distracted.  Quickly, here are your shoes, get going.  I don’t want to see this happen again and if you miss the bus, you’ll just have to walk, I’m not taking you!”  (Although I would say that with the car keys in my hand as summer is such a great season, I wouldn’t want it to be late).  It is the one you are most proud of and love to see it do well.

Autumn – well what do you do about Autumn.  It is so contrary.  It takes the shine off Summer causing great sadness, but you can’t help love it as it does so in such a wonderful way.  Half the time you don’t even realise he’s taken over.  There is no fighting and so nothing to reprimand.  Autumn gets away with everything.  However delightful and creative this child is as it draws beautiful golden colours on the walls of the calendar, he tires easily, so you carry him off to bed before he gets hurt by the demanding and impulsive big brother of Winter.

We had an unseasonal winter like storm yesterday, the boffins say summer is late and I’m not sure we even had a spring.  This crazy weather is really quite frustrating.  I am a gardener and I need to garden.  But, because I am a gardener, today I will go into the garden and harvest a few things and repair any damage and hope for nicer days.

It isn’t too bad though and it could have been a lot worst.… Just to remember nicer days come and see the garden before the storm:

Come again soon – Christmas is coming, there’ll be peas and potatoes ready to harvest.

Sarah the Gardener  : o )