WRITING PROMPT
The Colours of Fall: A Canadian Tale
A Taste For Life Monthly Prompt: Does colour have an impact on your life?
Colour is a part of life, you can’t miss it.
Growing up in South Africa, the colours of the veld (flat open bush areas) were varying shades of brown and black as wildlife darted in and out of trees, checking whether it was safe to head down to the watering hole.
Living in Australia, red dirt permeates throughout the sunburnt country. Summers are relatively colourless as the lack of water creates a yellow hue as you pass lawns and fields. That is, until you reach the ocean where colour suddenly explodes.
The sparkling blue ocean contrasts distinctly with the beige sand beaches as sunbathers bronze themselves in bright red bikinis whilst pristine white seagulls circle hoping for a morsel or two left behind.
Moving to the US in 2017, I saw colour all around me as signs and billboards screamed from the roadside. Even dark little dive bars present colour with red neon Budweiser overhangs or the blue mountains of Coors Light flashing on the walls.
But it is here in Canada that colour has settled into my soul.
The colours of fall nurse me in moments of sadness and elevate me in times of happiness.
Driving through the countryside in October is something I look forward to all year. The world seems to explode in colours that only Mother Nature can create and I can’t help but marvel at her sheer beauty.
The colour doesn’t begin and end with the fall in this country that permeates green in the spring and summer. A far cry from the burnt spaces of South Africa, Australia, and the Southern US.
Even in the snow that blankets the Great White North for a large part of the year, there are twinkling Christmas lights that brighten up the vast white landscapes.
But it is the fall that makes me feel alive.
From a red fire glowing in the backyard to the analogous colour palette of the trees reflected in the water of my local pond.
From the spectrum of football uniforms that dart about on my TV to the bright orange of pumpkins picked from a patch and turned into a pie, I love every minute of it!
Welcome to fall y’all!
Vanessa Brown is a book author, content creator, teacher, and recovering digital nomad. She has lived in six countries around the globe, five of them with her beloved Jaime, The Well-Travelled Cat.
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