Of course every leaf has two sides – otherwise we would not be encouraged to turn them over. [I know the phrase refers to the leaves of a book, but I’m using my poetic licence here before it expires].
Further to my earlier post in which I eulogised about the wonderful autumn here in Avren, I feel I need to complete the picture by describing the other side of the leaf.
A large grey blanket has been stretched across the sky over the Avren plateau for the past 10 days. It is a little threadbare in places, and you can just make out a bit of sunlight slipping through. Now and again a larger hole appears and for a few moments there is hope of sunshine returning. But darn it – the hope is short-lived and the hole is repaired.
To add to the gloom, there has been a heavy mist obscuring what is usually a lovely view across fields and hills – our neighbouring village has ceased to exist (if subjective idealism is your thing – thank you AI).
There has also been an almost constant drizzle – you can feel the wetness on your face as you step outside, but from indoors it is difficult to know whether or not it is raining. Never mind – the other day, to remove any doubts, there was a burst of torrential rain. This is unambiguous rain. This is precipitation without hesitation.
I got drenched trying to waterproof the little shelter (which turned out not to be a shelter) we prepared for Niaden, a kitten that appeared in our garden and decided to adopt us. The name is Bulgarian for “found”. Thanks to my heroic efforts her basket is remaining dry. I put an old window in front of the structure so effectively she now has a little conservatory.
The torrential rain caused flooding of streets and underpasses in Varna. The main contributory factor (apart from the rain of course) was leaves blocking the drains. Well, it is autumn. Some of the traffic lights were also out of action, but it is not clear if anyone noticed.
I hope this post has set the record straight about autumn in Avren. I like to think I always describe both sides of the leaf regarding life here in Bulgaria.
