THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER

There are no fixed rituals for the changing of the seasons and in Australia seasons often bleed into each other, even if the changes are very very subtle.

Autumn light is sharp and crisp. In the wind we feel a delicate chill. At dusk we carry cardigans. Rainstorms and wind seem more extreme. When rain falls it is like a curtain between one season and the next. Act 2: Leaves fall on a steaming street.

But of course the end of summer is a melancholy day even if it is marked by an arbitrary date and why not hail it decline with a celebrative ritual all your own?

Here are seven ways to celebrate this very special day, a small homage to transition, movement and that relentless invention we call time:

1. Decorate a freshly made bed with fallen summer flowers, frangipanis are ideal.
2. Fill a custard tart with all the sliced fresh fruits of summer…strawberries are all but gone now.
3. Make any excuse you can to cut work early and go jump into the ocean.
4. Make a list of everything beautiful that happened this summer (ask your children to join in).
5. Make a compilation of all your favourite summer songs (they can span back decades).
6. Take your favourite summer dress and gently hand wash it and hang in the sun to dry. Do not iron it!
7. Wear perfume behind your knees. Vanilla essence is fine.