As much as I complain about the cold, I love Autumn. Its palette of colours reminds me of change and progress. An approaching deathly winter wonderland, and the rebirth that always occurs soon after. That’s probably why I wouldn’t be able to live somewhere that’s hot and sunny and idyll all year round, it’s a false sense of security and happiness. As one of my favourite authors Madeleine L’Engle says:
“In Egypt, I learned why the women drew black lines of kohl around their eyes: to produce shadow, to protect their eyes from the fierceness of the sun. We see because of the sun, but if there were no shadows that light would quickly blind us. We need the shadows of buildings to protect us at least a little from heat.”
