Autumn Leaves / Indian Summer

We are experiencing, here in Maastricht, what one might call an 'Indian Summer' - a little blast of sun and summery-ness during late late summer (basically autumn). It's so beautiful, and perhaps the most photogenic time of year. In the evening the sun winks through ombre leaves and tickles the roof-tops. I particularly love the way that the leaves that have already fallen crunch under-foot, and the calm feeling that the nippy air mixed with intense sunlight seems to have on passers by.

This song sort of sums up the mood for me right now (I feel, for best effect, you should look at the photos with this playing in the background)...

This is Maastricht University Library's side-entrance on the right, and the historical wall of Maastricht on the left.

It is possible to run up a little flight of stone steps to sit on top of the wall, where there is a little garden of herbs and as well as a fig tree. One of my favourite study spots for sunny days.

I also really like the lyrics to the Paolo Nutini song 'Autumn Leaves':

Autumn leaves under frozen souls,
Hungry hands turning soft and old.
My hero cried as we stood out there in the cold,
Like these autumn leaves I don't have nothing to hold.

Handsome smile, wearing handsome shoes,
Too young to say though I swear he knew.
I hear him singing while he sits there in his chair,
While these autumn leaves float around everywhere.

I look at you and I see me, making noise so restlessly,
But now it's quiet and I can hear you saying,
My little fish don't cry, my little fish don't cry.

Autumn leaves have faded now
That smile I lost well I've found somehow,
Cause you still live on in my father's eyes.

These autumn leaves, oh these autumn leaves,
Oh these autumn leaves are yours tonight.




Some flowers from the wall garden (apparently this is verbena bonariensis - according to my friend Morag)...

Students relaxing in the evening sun.


University College Maastricht - what used to be the chapel, when it was a monastery in the 1400s - is now the lecture hall.

Heart It