Guys, I Have Never Been So Ready for a Cardigan!
Honestly, it's been feeling a lot like the summer would never end, and as a Brit who enjoys a good moan, I never thought the heat would be the subject of it, but sweet Lord, it was just too much.
I spent most of this summer lying on the floor of my flat like a dropped scarf, or pointing the weak fan at my poor dog who looked like she was about to give up. Amsterdam is a beautiful city but lemme tell you, it is not designed for a heatwave.
The canals go still and soupy and even the boats look sad, stuffed with sunburnt, sweaty people. The tourists wilt like dying tulips and someone always, always tries to cycle in a long flowing sundress, and it never ends the way they hoped because when that fabric gets churned up in your bike chain, it is NOT pretty (and yes, I have learned this from personal experience).
And reading? Forget it. You cannot hold a book when your hands are that damp. I got through roughly four pages of anything all July when I attemped to read in the park. I wound up abandoning ship and flopping on the grass with my headphones on instead.
But this week... this week my friends, I can feel a change in the air. I can see the leaves turning brown on the trees, finally considering new options (unless that's just because they're dead?!) But no... I stepped outside and felt that first cool breath from the sky. I bought a pumpkin-adjacent beverage in Starbucks, and smiled when TK MAXX put out the Halloween decorations.
Autumn is reading season, am I right? It's the blanket on the sofa, the rain tapping at the window, the completely legitimate excuse to stay in and fall in love with fictional people while your dog snoozes comfortably beside you instead of panting for dear life. Summer books get skimmed whereas Autumn books.... I cannot wait to light a candle and sink my teeth in!
Top of that stack... if you haven't read it yet, and I say this with the shameless bias of the woman who wrote it — FATED MATED MINE. If you want something I wrote to keep you warm as the nights draw in, this is the one. Grab your copy, put the kettle on, and let the weather do whatever the hell it likes.
I'll be here under a blanket in my cardigan having no regrets whatsoever! Finally.