Summer's Over

So, September's here and summer is officially over. Possibly the best month of the year - August, with its long, lazy days and permanent holiday feel - is behind us for another twelve months.  That said, too many people, particularly in the media, make far too much of the change of month, lamenting summer as if it is dead and gone forever and giving the impression that the leaves will immediately start falling from the trees and temperatures drop like a stone.  Whilst it is true that, in meteorological terms summer has officially ended and autumn officially began today, that doesn't mean that summer-like won't persist for some time, (just as autumnal feeling weather can occur during summer).  Indeed, today was a beautiful sunny day with decent temperatures - I spent a lot of it on the beach.  By contrast, yesterday, officially still a summers day, was cooler, overcast and characterised by intermittent drizzle.  I know, I was out in it.  But it isn't just the change of month which symbolises the end of summer: the football transfer window has shut and children are beginning to drift back to school.

The latter event is actually one of the reasons I try to time my main summer break to occur close to the end of August every year.  Not only does it mean that sometimes, when it extends into early September, I get some holidays free of other people's children, as they've started school again, but it also, sort of, aligns me with the academic calendar.  I spent so long in various types of education, that September still feels like the start of the year for me.  Gong back to work in September has the feel of a new start for me.  This year, though, more than ever, it's a new start I dread.  These past couple of weeks (and the earlier week I took off in this irritating split leave I'm forced to take these days) have given a lot of time to think.  The result is that it is quite clear to me that I can't continue to delude myself that I can somehow find a way of carrying on at work - the stress levels are taking too high a toll on my health.  That, combined with increasingly poor working conditions and piss poor management are making it virtually impossible to do the job.  Consequently, simply trying to tough it out until my mortgage is paid off next spring isn't going to be enough.  It's obvious to me now that I'm going to have to start taking action to find alternative employment now - I know I've got everything, particularly my age, against me, but I have to try.  Anyway, we seem to have strayed from the original point - summer might be over, but the fun - and my holidays - aren't over quite yet.