September
September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days.
September (from the Latin septem, "seven") was originally the seventh month in the oldest known Roman calendar, the calendar of Romulus, c. 750 BC.
[Image courtesy of iQuote]
March (Latin Martius) was the first month of the year until perhaps as late as 451 BC.
After the calendar reform that added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day.
Back to school
September marks the beginning of the school year in many countries of the northern hemisphere, when children, and teachers, go back to school after their summer break.
For several decades of my life September meant "back to school". From the age of five to 18, September was the month when school started a new academic year.
At university it was a month later, October.
[Image courtesy of Freepik]
For 15 years of my career, as a teacher, it also meant "back to school".
For another 15 years, as a schools inspector / advisor, September also dominated my life.
So, without realising it at the time, September was actually quite stressful.
September 2005 onwards
After some 50-plus years, September became a month to savour and enjoy. This came as a surprise bonus in 2005, the year I stopped working, which was also my first "annus horribilis", a phrase coined by Queen Elizabeth II to describe her 1992.
[The Phoenix File]
I experienced a nervous breakdown; my wife divorced me and I was made redundant - a "triple whammy" indeed!.
However, "every cloud has a silver lining" and 2005 became a turning point for me. Within three years of leaving employment I had found a new lady to love, a new country to live in and new things to do.
In 2008 I moved to southern Spain to live with my new lady, a German called Rita, already resident, and started "work" as a journalist and translator. By 2010 Rita and I had "jumped the broom" and in 2011 we bought our dream home (where we still live 14 years later).
Wedding in 2010 [Photo by HMR]
Endword
Since I retired, aged 55, and moved to Spain, I've grown to love September. Temperatures drop from the highs of August, the tourists start to disappear and life takes on a more gentle pace.
Spaniards come back to work, having taken holiday in August, and you can start to sort your affairs out and deal with "el papeleo" again, eg tax, IBI, and all the other bureaucratic issues Spain throws at you.
[Image courtesy of Freepik]
September is arguably the best month in Spain. Not so hot as in high summer, fewer tourists, and a time to relax and travel.
I love September - now.
Links:
Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part I
Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part II
The Houses That Jack Built
Wrong way round
© Paul Whitelock
Photos and images:
Freepik, HMR, iQuote, Paul Whitelock, The Phoenix File
Tags:
"annus horribilis", divorce, Elizabeth II, Freepik, HMR, iQuote, nervous breakdown, Paul Whitelock, redundancy, Rita, The Phoenix File, triple whammy