Last year I noted the arrival of spring by posting about Wattle Day (1 September).In Australia (and New Zealand?) the conventional Northern Hemisphere seasonal names begin on the first of each month: 1 September - Spring; 1 December - Summer; 1 March - Autumn; 1 June - Winter. The reason for doing it that way reather than by equinox and solstice is a bit hazy. There is one story about colonial soldiers changing from wionter to summer uniforms on 1 Sep and vice versa on 1 March.
Anyway, in much of Australia, it's all entirely meaningless anyway, because the seasons don't necessarily resemble the conventional European ones much. Traditional Aboriginal people had a very sophisticated understanding and depending where they lived identified numerous seasonal variations. Up in tropical Darwin/Kakadu and surrounds, there are 6 named seasons, for example.
Whatever, I always know spring is coming by mid August when I get my first waft of jasmine scent. The jasmine growing over my side fence is well and truly in bloom now, though the Japanese maple will take a while longer to come fully into leaf (it's still got a few of last year's clinging on too!).
We are just beginning to realize that Autumn is here but not officially yet. Some tree leaves are beginning to fall and others are just beginning the changing color process. Leaf fall is probably premature this year owing to our 3-month drought. We are still dry. Most of the flowers are gone to seed now. We can expect cooler days and nights (if the rest of the year is normal) and freezing temps in December.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post.
Hope you get to see my bird today.
Spring also signals the arrival of Hay Fever season?
ReplyDelete*dreadful huh...*
Jasmine seems to be one of those perfumes people love or hate. I love it, and it is very evocative of the weather warming up.
ReplyDeletetu en as de la chance, ici "toute la pluie tombe sur moi" ;o)
ReplyDeleteyou have chance of it, here “all the rain fall on me” ;o)
Jasmine signifies spring for me too - I absolutely love that fragrance, and just looking at your picture I could swear I smell some here in my office... :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any in my garden (tried to plant some a year or two back, but it didn't take for some reason). But the house I grew up in had a beautiful arch that you had to walk through to get to the front door, and it was covered in jasmine - luvverly.
Yes, luvverly. What a beautiful, flourishing jasmine hedge. I don't have any in my garden which must be an oversight. Must put some in, together with another daphne since I lost my last one during our ridiculously dry summer. We're still on watering restrictions though which is annoying. Watering by bucket punishes the frail or aged. I can bearly lift a bucket full of water!
ReplyDeleteThe concept of seasons had developed in Europe long before calendars were finally formalised in their present form, sally. In Australia we lacked the dramatic climatic variations found in Europe, so (since local changes were so small) it made sense to simply fall in line with the actual months.
ReplyDeleteHad the earlier European calendar contained twelve months (divisble by four) rather than ten, Europe might well have brought it into line with the actual climate. I'm intrigued, though, to hear the suggestion that the indigenous poulation had a "sophisticated" approach to describing the seasons. I suspect that this reveals a quite unsophisticated undersatnding of what the word "sophisticated" means?
Unless, of course, one subscribes to the Humpty Dumpty thesis.
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