First Day of Winter

It's really the second day of winter, but it's more like the first.

We set out to walk to Norwood as soon as the rain stopped. We aren't used to rain. We didn't think it would rain again while we were out.

Odd yellow leaves and stems had been added to the pavement. Yesterday's heaps were flattened into wet soggy maps.

Plane tree leaves stuck fast and dark mirror puddles reflected an upside down world of bare branches. The sky was the colour of whales.

The colour of ocean and the colour of spume.

We bought apples and tomato paste... we looked for cuticle oil.

And just as we were about to step out of the mall near the fish shop it started to rain.

We couldn't walk home. We don't like being thwarted. We made our way up The Parade shop by shop.

It didn't stop all the way home, but it became lighter and we got used to it.

Outside our house, the birdshit on the pavement was nearly all washed away.