Autumn, now

The weather has definitely turned nippy of late, necessitating scarves and proper jackets, less swanning about as if summer were still lingering in the air. I've lived through crazy Chicago winters (forty below, in Fahrenheit, with windchill, anyone?) but as friends with experience of both London and Chicago winters warn me, there's something about the English cold that gets into your bones.

For now, though, there's something invigorating about the brisk evening chill. Walking along the Thames tonight as the wind whipped past, I felt lucky to be alive and here, here and now.