"There comes an autumn sickle..."

And as the daylight's fading
When Lammas has come in
And gleamers go to work among the stubble
There comes an autumn sickle
To cut the summer's throat
Before the season knows it is in trouble

Martin Newell, Black Shuck

 We are Lammas Day, the first day of August. The first day of harvest, but more importantly for me the day when summer starts to end and when I truly start my countdown to autumn. Like every year since I read the poem, I make the above quote. This is my official countdown to autumn and my officious countdown to Halloween, when I will start reading scary stories and get into a spooky mood. The verse about the autumn sickle is most appropriate this year: it has been cool for a few days and summer does look like it is in trouble. It may give us a few more blasts, but I do hope that its throat is indeed cut.