By nine o’clock the sun has already set so deeply that it is time to draw the curtains against the night. The sky is full of clouds, obscuring whatever moon and stars there might have been; ready to dampen this town again tonight and tomorrow.

There have been a few summery days of late, but it was in April and May that we had an unexpectedly early summer. Now it’s mid-August, normally the time when the sun burns down most strongly on beaches full of smiling faces, and it feels like whatever Summer we had is now gone. The beaches are sparse and cold, the tourists finding indoor activities to pass their time, and we stay inside and look out across the damp and windy town, waiting for twilight to draw in. Another day ends, and with it thoughts of a Summer like those we used to know.

They say this winter will be colder than last, and next summer hotter than this. But, really, who knows? Even further on into the future, will there be snowy Januaries and sunny Julys? I hope so, but… there’s a lot of new things this year.

It’s ten days now until the baby’s due, though it might well be sooner. I think I’m more prepared than I was, but it’s still somewhat unfathomable - just how much will our lives change, and in what ways? Will we be good parents or bad? Will our friends stick around or fade away? Will we stay young, or grow old?

Will we still think the same things, as we watch a Spring sunrise or the premature Autumn twilight?