It's Not the End of Summer
Every year, almost without fail, it happens.
The first slightly cooler morning arrives. The evenings begin to draw in by a few minutes. Someone reaches for a jumper and before long you hear the familiar phrase:
“Well... that's summer over then.”
I've never understood that.
Perhaps it's because, here in Britain, talking about the weather is almost a national pastime. We notice every degree, every cloud and every shower. We long for sunshine in winter, complain when it finally arrives, and then declare the season finished the moment the temperature drops.
But when I walk outside, I don't see the end of summer.
I see hedgerows still full of life. Meadows buzzing with insects. Herbs at their peak, waiting to be gathered. Long evenings where I can still wander through the countryside well after nine o'clock with daylight all around me.
To me, summer isn't measured by the temperature on a weather app.
It's measured by what nature is still offering.
This year my home has slowly become an apothecary. Herbs are drying in every available space, each one reminding me that the season is still generous. There are still plants to gather, recipes to make and quiet evening walks to enjoy.
In many ways, this is my favourite part of summer.
The frantic heat has softened. The air feels fresher. The light becomes warmer, almost golden, hinting at the season that will eventually follow, but never rushing us there.
And when autumn does arrive, I'll welcome it.
I love watching the landscape change. I love the rich colours, the crisp mornings and the slow transformation of the trees. I love how the hedgerows gradually open as the leaves fall, revealing views that have been hidden for months. Every year I'm amazed that a tree can appear so lifeless in winter, only to burst back into leaf a few months later as though nothing ever happened.
That's one of the greatest lessons nature teaches us.
Nothing is permanent.
Every season has its purpose, and every season deserves to be noticed while it's here.
So no, I don't think summer is over.
Not yet.
There are still herbs to harvest.
Still light-filled evenings.
Still warm days waiting to surprise us.
And until nature tells me otherwise, I'll continue to enjoy every last moment of this beautiful season.
— Jody Valentina