It’s whizzing by pretty fast, actually. But when I took this photo, on my way to work just at the end of September, I was suddenly noticing that summer had switched off. Autumn has its own set of atmospheres: the changes in the light, the sense of briskening pace, and various geographically-dependent variations in humidity and temperature. The start of the new school year is so potent it charges the air even though everyone in our house has either left school far behind or is as yet blissfully oblivious to its existence, and it’s blowing by, dragging Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving (if you’re on the other side of the pond), and Christmas close behind.