signs of the urban seasons

One of the joys of city life is the way you're intimately connected to the changing of the seasons, the rhythms of the year. The ebb and flow of the life is marked through thousands of intricate little moments giving us city-dwellers an intuitive grasp on the march of time and the progress of the year, connecting us deeply and intimately to the earth and its immemorial turning. I sometimes feel for the country folk, who must lack these tiny moments of connectivity to the eternal order of change. And while this kind of sensitivity can't be taught, (it flows from an innate connection to the universal cycle of the city) I thought it worthwhile noting, through the year, some of those minuscule details that a city-dweller will pick up on almost unconsciously, but that might pass the rural visitor by.

Let's start with now; the turning of the year, sometimes known as January (literally 'the time when it can be cold') or more commonly Start Of Q1. One of the first signs of January is the way houses start to shed their Christmas Trees, leaving them in the streets to melt back into the pavement. To be renewed and repaired so they can re-appear on the pavement again, and in shops, in December.

The January twilight (or 'lighting up time') is often marked by the twinkling of restaurants who put lights up at Christmas and thought they looked nice anyway and decided to leave them up. Most of these will be gone by February (literally 'the time when it's still cold, but also depressing').

And of course, you have the gyms with amazing, joining offers.

And the umbrella corpses that don't survive the thinning of the herd that comes with the first big wind.

I think this is worth a flickr group. This ancient wisdom must not be lost.
 

Comments

[poprock]

You just brightened up a very dull, grey day up here in Glasgow. Thankyou.

[dannorthcotesmith]

http://www.flickr.com/groups/christmas_treeson/

Create by Mr Richard Hale

[Ben]

The nice people at Magnum have posted some good pictures of abandoned Christmas trees here: http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=Mod_ViewBoxInsertion.ViewBoxInsertion_VPage&R=29YL535H1TDN&RP=Mod_ViewBox.ViewBoxThumb_VPage&CT=Story&SP=Story

[Lee Briggs]

Great post! I am sat observing the black sky hovering over Farringdon at the minuet. Another great shower is surely on its way, but thankfully I have my umbrella to shelter me home this evening.

[Charlie Gower]

I have some abandoned umbrellas for you, from my friend Simon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/midwich/sets/72157600053502098/

[John Dodds]

I'm thinking a yokel should replicate your observations from a rural perspective.

[Paul H. Colman]

Happy January, my man.