A Quieter Rhythm

There are certain signs that summer is coming to an end when you live on an island. The ferry lineups start getting shorter. The Sunday market wraps up this weekend for another year, and the Saturday market begins to get a little quieter. Almost without noticing, the whole pace of the island begins to slow.

September always feels like a bit of an in-between month. Summer isn’t quite over, although the darker days we’ve been having lately seem determined to convince me otherwise. In general there’s just a quieter rhythm that seems to happen on the island after a busy summer.

I’m never particularly eager to admit that summer is actually over. I hate giving up my sandals and putting away my short-sleeved T-shirts because somehow that makes it official. Bringing out the long sleeves means I’ve finally had to admit that another summer has come and gone. And the socks? The socks feel like outright defeat.

While the island starts to slow down, things in my studio are about to get considerably busier.

September is when I really start gearing up for the Studio Tour. I’ve been thinking about it for months, but now delivery times matter, orders need to be placed, and the projects I’ve already started need to become finished projects. In theory, this is also when I stop starting new ones. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Christmas markets that seemed ridiculously far away a few months ago are suddenly starting to appear on the horizon too.

There’s a funny rhythm at this time of year. Things around me are beginning to quiet down just as I start shifting into another gear.

I think that’s what I like about the change of seasons. It doesn’t happen all at once. There are sunflowers and dahlias still blooming, some of the apples are still ripening, and I’m not quite ready to give up my sandals and short sleeves. But there’s a shift happening, whether I’m ready for socks or not.