Happy New Year

I would not normally post twice in the same day, but this topic is completely unrelated to my earlier post.

I love this time of year. I enjoy all the seasons and which ever we are in becomes my current favourite but I think that an Indian summer, such as we are enjoying now, is definitely the best of British weather. I always feel a tingle of excitement when autumn is approaching but it has only recently occurred to why that is.

In England, the school year begins in September. We never moved house, my parents never divorced and no one close to me died (one Grandfather died before I was born, the other died when I was 5 and I barely remember him) so a new school year, a new teacher or moving to a different school were ‘big’ events in my life and they all took place in September. In my hometown the annual funfair is held on the first Monday and Tuesday after the first Sunday after the 1st of September. During the day we would go shopping for new clothes and school supplies; in the evening we would go to the fair. The last few days of the summer holiday were very exciting and spilled over into the first day of the new year.

After leaving education I worked for 15 years at a school examinations board. Our work was completely tied in with the academic year. The work was very cyclical and the cycle began in September. Every year I would work hard at the beginning of the month typesetting a report on that years examinations, then take a holiday during a brief period of calm before launching into a fresh year.

September is also my birth month. I feel a small thrill of excitement on the equinoxes and the solstices, and never more so than when the autumnal equinox falls on my birthday as it does today.

The new year may begin on January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar but on my personal calendar this is New Years Day.

I’ve got two new projects to start my new year and some exciting things planned, starting with a Japanese Beading Class this weekend.

Happy Equinox. Happy New Year.