Sunday Smiles

Last Sunday (October 2nd) was the end of a superb run of fine weather and good surf. The last days of September all began with warm damp dawns, the stillness and clear skies a portent of the heat to come. The bushes full of bursting blackberries, the grasses wet with dew, and the light soft with a fine mist. As the sun rose the air dried, no wind, far off cirrus diffusing the sun to a warm glowing yellow ball across half a sky. Day after day swells poured in, long period, hitting banks all along the coast that had spent all summer sorting themselves out. In a coastline of surfers there was a lot of days taken off, jobs put back, meetings missed. On the Sunday the swell dropped, but the heat, light and stillness remained. The beach was full of people having a lot of fun. The happiness was palpable in the air, it was the last day of summer.

I took my youngest son out surfing. He is four, he held tight around my neck and we paddled out to the surf line to catch up with his Mum. We took waves in turn with the other surfers and swooped down the line lying prone. There were lots of hoots. I felt slightly deafened for a few days from Alby’s shouts of pleasure in my ear.

On the Monday the wind picked up, blowing leaves furiously across the landscape. the temperature dropped, rain was forecast and everyone went back to school and work. Autumn had arrived.