Transition

Huw Williams | 20:04, Saturday 18 October 2014 | Turin, Italy

We are in that time of year again which is a transition. Decking and outdoor tables have disappeared from outside coffee shops and the days are already noticeably shorter. The weather is of a kind that I have only experienced for a fortnight or so here in the Torino October - suddenly you find that you're glad of a sweater in the early mornings and yet you might finish the afternoon bathed in warm sunshine, in shirtsleeves and sunglasses. At least, Brits like us might, but not without a few disproving glances, because for the Torinese, the Winter wardrobes have been reopened, and scarves, leather boots and jackets abound.

There's a begrudging feeling about it all this year, as we all mourn the departure of a Summer which never really arrived - it seems so unfair now that we know that the long Winter is less likely to be so capricious.

And all this forms a backdrop to so many other transitions, at home we are learning to adapt to being a family of four and are reminded of how those sleepless nights leave one feeling. In church we are delighted to welcome newcomers into the constantly-changing fellowship here. Change can be tiring. But it seems to me that every season has its own unique place, its own flavours, its own beauty.