Down Under -- Up Over?

I was reading Tracey's blog post about anticipating the coming of spring. And it got me to thinking about two things.

First, in the years since I first became a blogger, I've become more tuned in to Australia. Not just the quilters and the designers, but beyond that -- the lifestyle, the agriculture, the lingo. Joe and I met some absolutely lovely people from Australia the year we went to Greece; they were the friendliest people and easiest to be with of all the folks on the ship. When I mentioned this to Andrew, who spent a semester in Sydney, he indicated that, though we do not usually employ over-broad generalizations about a people, this is just how Aussies are. My SSCS partner last year was an Aussie and that relationship has endured and grown. During the Olympics, I found myself cheering for the Australian swimmers almost as much as the Americans!

Of course the topsy-turvey seasons is something else I've been aware of in a new way. When I'm pulling out extra sweaters and quilts, my friends Down Under are talking about droughts and picnics. And now, when I notice that the green leaves are now reddish, these ladies are planting canola crops and birthing lambs.

Apparently the anticipation of the change of season is universal. While I'm not eager for genuine cold weather, last night when I had to pull up the quilt, it felt good. There's a rhythm to life underscored by the change of seasons, and the readiness for each one seems to be instinctive. This coming weekend we'll be heading out to Lancaster County for a family wedding, and en route we're likely to scenes like this punkin field. And it will feel right and good.