Autumn equinox delivers a dark magic

25th September 2023

Autumn equinox delivered a dark magic. Facing east, for half the year at least, even the blackest mornings are broken by a strip light on the horizon. Now, with summer officially over just two days ago, there is nothing. Only darkness. Wake unexpectedly and it is impossible to discern a late night from an early morning. At five and at six there is now complete darkness and the wakening fear that it will go on all winter.

Sunrise now happens at 6.46am according to my phone. Too late for many who like the peace of early morning. If I accidentally wake at four, I think of Rupert’s Mum whose day starts then and in the winter, includes breaking ice from frozen water so that her animals can drink. I am glad to be later.

Most fields now look empty, shorn and farrowed. The hedges and verges are happily hanging on to their green; hips and hawthorn berries are red light highlights with purple blackberry clusters ripening to their end.

By eight am, shingled in to our little strip of sunrise coast, the sun is up and golden. September has added a filter so that heavy gold glitter on the water replaces the sharp summer silver. A distinct south westerly breeze, born in the heat of the tropics, makes the beach temperature feel unseasonably mild. There is a gentle warmth when we face the sun.

We’re an hour after high tide but the water is still deep and lively. There’s no excuse for not swimming, too deep for wobbling over the underwater sand or bobbing about. This morning’s sea is strong and dark with sharp ripples and waves that insist swimmers pay attention. Chat too much and a wave three feet above you will issue a heavy reminder to the back of your head.

These waves are fun to jump, actually, we head up and over with no push off. Mostly, they’re pretty gentle but occasionally a sequence of faster and higher waves appear out of nowhere, stirred up by a strong burst of wind. I won a wet head and neck.

While we concentrate on waves, the tide surreptitiously carries us north along the beach, so much so that by the time we realise, we have travelled two hundred yards away from our clothes and towels. More spookily, it is also pulling us out away from the beach. We notice.

The sky was full of autumn. Look north along the shore and there was darkness, look south and a view like a summer’s day.

I spot a perfect stone heart on the strip of sand in front of the shore. I pick it up, leave it for later and can’t find it again.

Autumn equinox 2023 took place on 23rd September.