autumn

❉ autumn is quite beautiful in london with all its parks full of trees losing their coloured leaves... sometimes its hard to notice the beauty though, when the drizzle is accompanied by wind so strong that you have to hold on to your umbrella with two hands and all your force just to stop the wind smashing it into your face.
i must make myself love and appreciate each season like the japanese do... they have festivals and rituals and wonderful haiku poetry dedicated to the unique beauty of summer, autumn, winter and spring. it was one of the things i marvelled at most when i lived in japan, how much they embraced each of the seasons.

in spring we had drunken picnics under cherry blossoms, ate cherry blossom rice cakes and admired the girls wearing cherry blossom kimonos. in the autumn i went to kyoto which is most beautiful then because of all the deciduous trees. my girlfriend and i went to the onsen, (the japanese bathhouse) where all the yakuza wives happened to be, naked in the hot pools with their tattoos and diamonds.
we saw real geisha down the cobbled back alleyways in the evening, walking in their clogs between tea-houses. at the sunday market we bought beautiful antique kimonos for $10 each.
no one whinges about the seasons in japan and i found myself enjoying them too! as much as i love summer, it probably would be boring having it all year round...

apparently this winter in london is going to be the coldest in a hundred years. they always say things like that though don't they...anyway it's time for a winter coat.
i went shopping on thursday with igne, a girlfriend from work and though both of us were dead-set on finding coats, we came back with shoes and dresses and everything but coats. we decided to stop by her boyfriend's work, 'number 5' in mayfair, for one drink before heading home. we ended up drinking a whole bottle of champagne each as well as a million shots and i was sent home in a taxi. jerry found me downstairs hanging out the taxi door vomiting into the street. my last memory of the evening was playing (and singing) 'heart & soul' on the pianoforte in the restaurant (i cant play the piano).... apparently the maitre de and staff were very amused with us.

here's some autumn haiku poetry by basho.... isn't it beautiful?

shaking the grave
my weeping voice
autumn wind


turn this way!
I too feel lonely
late in autumn


taken in my hand
it will vanish in hot tears
autumn frost

:o)