SEASONS AND WEATHER

   The naughtiest thing in the world is the weather. It is like a capricious woman who always does the opposite to what you ask her and does not feel any pangs of remorse.

   To tell the truth sometimes the weather is ashamed and turns for the better. But not always. More often it sticks to its own pattern and after a short warm spell turns bad again. Why is it always like this? Maybe the weather likes surprises and wants to bring in adventure to our life breaking the boring routine with marvelous happenings? Anyway, the weather can be wonderful, delightful, and splendid if you know the proverb: "The nature hasn’t bad weather, we have unsuitable clothes”.

   All of us know that there are four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn. I’d like to start with spring. I don’t know more beautiful season than spring, especially May. Everything awakes from its winter sleep. At first, the ground thaws, so there is mud and a great number of pools everywhere. Snow melts and little streams flow merrily. As the sun shines more and more brightly and warmer, the slush disappears and the loveliest period of the year starts. New life, new dreams appear with it. We can’t but notice great changes in nature. The trees burst into a cloud of blossom. The fields and meadows are covered with fresh green grass. Wild flowers begin to peep forth and the white snow-drop is one of the first spring flowers to appear. Then forget-me-nots, lilies of the valley, violets, primroses, tulips and daffodils, lilacs and jasmine feel the air with a sweet fragrances. The sky is blue and there is not a single cloud in it. At night, millions of stars shine in the darkness. The birds have already came back from the South, so the woods and forests are filled with their songs and twittering. They build their nests, hatch and rear the chicks. Nature is full of promise. Everything is so fresh and wonderful that you cannot resist this world and not to fall in love with it. Everything is looking forward to summer.

   Dickens called summer the prime and vigor of the year. Summer is a luxuriant season. The larks send their thrilling songs from the blue sky, the robins fill the forests with their voices. The meadows are fragrant with hosts of wild flowers such as bluebells, buttercups, poppies, daffodils and daisies. June is the month of roses, a sweet smell rises from the blooming flowers. A warm breeze stirs the leaves of the birches. The air rings with the shrill sounds produces by insects. Everywhere dragonflies, bees and bumblebees dart with a buzzing sound, beetles and furry caterpillars hasten to and fro about their business, gnats and butterflies fly in hosts. How beautiful are the fields around! The wheat is golden, the grass is green. Summer is full of beauty.

   Summer is the hottest season of the year. By the end of June the weather becomes considerably warmer, even oppressive and people can no longer bear it, so they go bathing and swimming. What a pleasure it is to lie in the sun, get suntanned or splash in the water. Sometimes it is very close, and the heat is almost unbearable. Then a thunderstorm brings a relief. The sky is so heavily cast with low dark clouds. The downpours follow one another with such frequency, the rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning are frightening. But it doesn’t last long. A heavy downpour or a hailstorm cools the air down very quickly. The flowers smell sweet, the sun shines brightly, the air is clear and there is a rainbow in the sky.

   Summer is the farmer’s busy season. He works in his field from morning till evening. The grass must be cut, the hey must be made white the dry weather lasts. The hot sun ripens the corn and the fruit. There are plenty of strawberries, cherries, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, plums, apricots, peaches, currants, water melons which afford a treat for old and young. Besides it’s time to gather mushrooms and nuts.

   And on moves the earth in its race round the sun. The days are becoming shorter, the sun rays are loosing their glittering force – autumn is approaching. The beautiful nature thanked the laborious farmer for his work in the fields, meadows and orchards by giving him good harvest. The trees that not long ago bloomed with flowers are now changing their colour from green to golden dark brown, red and orange. The period of fine weather, which is called Indian Summer sets in. The days are full of sunshine and charm, there isn’t a single cloud in the sky, the air is clear and fresh. It is the most glorious and gorgeous time of the year. Nature looks beautiful then in its golden garment, light wet flows in the air, everything is quiet and still. The sun gives its warmth to the last drop. It’s a real pleasure to go for a stroll in the park. But everything comes to an end and deep, gloomy autumn comes into its own. We don’t hear the sweet melody of birds as they have flown away to far distant warm counties. Everything begins to take a different colour in the lonely quiet of the countryside. The trees look bare for they have cast off the leaves, which are now covering the ground with a multicolored carpet. The fragrant flowers have faded away. The sky is overcast with low, heavy black clouds. It is very chilly, a piercing wind blows, it is constantly drizzling. It is more pleasant to stay indoors in front of the fireplace in a soft armchair with a cup of hot coffee. It is muddy, there are many pools in the street. In the morning it can be very foggy. Everything is grey and unhappy. The weather is very changeable, so you must be ready for everything, if it doesn’t rain in the morning it doesn’t mean that it will not rain in the evening. The nights are dark and cold. There is a breath of winter in the air, everything tells about its approach.

   It is getting colder day by day. The cold makes the hands stiff and frost-bitten noses. It’s on a morning in December that you get up and look out of the window and see that the ground, the roofs of the houses are covered with a white sheet of snow. Winter comes into its own. The snow lies thick, the birds hop about looking in vain for food. Ponds, lakes, rivers and streams are frozen and there is icing on the roads, that’s why people slide and slip from time to time. Winter is a season of black and white. The colours are frozen. The clouds are grey like ashes. The red sun flashes through the grey clouds on the window and they glimmer red. Sometimes there can be blizzards. Then the wind is severe and sharp. The snowflakes are driving in people’s faces.

   But the pictures of winter are not always gloomy and dull. On a frosty sunny day the nature looks splendid and magnificent: the hoarfrost sparkles under the sun like jewels. The sky is clear and blue, the air is fresh and crisp. And think of the joys of children and grown-ups! How many activities they can do! After the first snowfall they are out making snowmen, building snow huts, playing snowballs. It is also a good time for different sports: skating, skiing, hockey, sledging.

   All seasons are different and each of them has its own charm. We are to notice and appreciate it and then the world will be wonderful and full of miracles all the year round.