Onwards and Upwards

Tonight is chilly.
This may seem like small news. A chilly night? Wear a cardigan. Chump.
However, I do have a penchant for assigning symbolic significance to events that aren't really significant at all (though the SMH also seemed to find tonight's chill newsworthy, if only in comparatively), so humour me, readers.
Why am I feeling inordinately sentimental about a cold snap? (If my English grandma heard me say that she'd have my head- it's about 23 degrees still). Only because to me, the first cold night means the End of Summer.
This was the summer where I got into the university course of my dreams. Saying an awkward goodbye to all my friends who are satisfied with my old uni. Starting all over- new friends, new classes, new TERRIBLE student card (I look more like Dennis Fergusen the pedophile than ever) and so on.
This was the summer where I went to Fiji, went snorkelling, got the worst sunburn of my life, slow danced with a Fijian man to Take That and discovered that I need to travel.
The summer where I went to Falls Festival with old friends and new, got high at eight in the morning, showered under the stars, danced on the shoulders of some tripper to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and rediscovered an old passion for Cheese-O's.
The summer where I went to Forster and climbed an absurdly large sandbank for no good reason but all-american clean fun. Where I discovered my distaste for all-american clean fun and spent the rest of the week on a lilo drinking my body weight in beer.
The summer of playing trivia at the RSL and coming last by a dramatic margin every week.
The summer of Homebake and Big Day Out. Of Tropfest. Of a misjudged night at Soho in Kings Cross and many misjudged nights in Manly.
So EXCUSE ME for getting a little sentimental. However, as Lena, Bridget, Carmen and Tibby- and indeed, I- learn, there's always another summer ahead and always more adventures to share with three wonderful friends and a pair of magical pants. Except that I think the series ended at book three. BUT NOT ME. NOT MY SERIES. ME AND MY MAGICAL PANTS WILL TRAVEL EVERY SUMMER.

Upon reflection, I think I took that analogy a little too far.