New Coastie – Autumn holds our hand

September is the most exciting time of the year. It is springtime. New Zealanders start to gear up to get out of winter. Little smiles start to show up on our faces. Head nods start to change into good mornings and giddays. Pink and yellow start to push out the black and grey of our clothing. The Briscoes Lady slashes the price of barbecues and outdoor furniture – 50 percent off everything!  

That is all in preparation for the big party that is going to be summer. Summer hits and happiness rolls in. The beach, Christmas, family, road trips, barbecues, stubbies, jandals, bikinis, and drunk uncles making inappropriate jokes about bikinis, all provide the perfect recipe for the euphoric rave that we go through every year. Even Covid couldn’t stop us. If we couldn’t go to the club, we had the house to party. If we could not go to the restaurant, we had our backyards and Dad’s special sausages. Nothing could come in the way of our Great Kiwi Summer. 

As March rolls in, the euphoria dampens with autumn. Much more so in 2022. With extreme weather events and Omicron peaking, it feels like the summer was just a quick smoko during a day in a job we hate. We really enjoyed our mince pie and a vape but now it is time to get back to the grind.  

I really feel bad for autumn. It gets wrongfully lumped into winter, which has a bad reputation. We all misdirect our dismay at autumn, even though we are actually mad at winter. I am already hearing from my acquaintances on social media that winter is here. I used to do that too. In recent years I have altered my thinking. 

My Grandmother used to say – autumn is your friend, listen to autumn. Autumn is the helping hand that prepares you for winter. It gives you warning signs of what’s to come. Hey look – it is getting cooler, better get that heat pump serviced or get that firewood ordered. Hey look it is raining a lot more, better get those umbrellas out and get those gutters sorted. It is like the mock exams that you practise just before the actual test. Without those practice questions you might not do well on the test. If spring motivates you to have a good time in summer, then autumn holds your hand to guide you through the cold, rainy Auckland winter.

I understand that on the Coast we do not get the harsh winter of the south but that doesn’t minimise the burden of winter on our lives. We are human and our environment affects us as much as it does any other person on the planet. 

All I can share is what has helped me cope: over the years embracing autumn has helped me to physically and mentally ease into winter. Grandma was right.