Trees

The theme for September over at Mix-it-Monthly is trees.

I've said it before, and will doubtless say it again - having the seasons turned around when you move into a new hemisphere really messes with your head! There is no mass drop of leaves in the autumn leading to the bare greenlessness of dark brown limbs reaching for the sky in winter. There is no sudden burst of new life with the greening of spring. The new-life symbols of Easter just aren't there as it now happens in the autumn. Christmas brings rising temperatures - the furthest from snow you can get.

So I'm having to learn new cues from the trees. The bottle-brushes are red with blooms and the May blossom is out, so it must be September. When the jacarandas are Dr. Seuss purple, it's November and Christmas is coming, even though the days are getting hotter and longer. If the lawn has suddenly gone from flat, brown, and crunchy to green and knee-height overnight, the first rains of autumn have fallen and it must be April. When there are crunchy leaves on the floor it's of no help whatsoever, as the plane trees seem to drop leaves all through the year depending on how extreme the temperature is!

The seasons may not be so baldly plain as they are in the UK, but I'm starting to see the subtle differences in the trees.