"Schneider's glasses"

Hold on tight!

Summer is over - there's no denying it(Bild: Dietmar Stiplovsek)

"Krone" columnist Robert Schneider is a child of summer. But even he had to realize that the sun's rays have noticeably lost their power in recent weeks. 

My summer was perfectly beautiful. Life flowed by without much excitement or worry. I was also able to enjoy the glorious August days unabashedly. They weren't spoiled by the daily horror scenarios about climate change that were still being spread last year. I was simply happy about so much sunshine and didn't have a guilty conscience about it.

Last week, it was Wednesday, I sat down on the terrace as usual in the morning to drink my coffee and start the day. "You're going to catch a cold," my wife warned me. "Finally realize that summer is over." I sat down outside anyway. I'll probably be able to stand a fresh breeze. Or have I gone soft too?

I still remember the media clamor when the heating in our nation's offices was to be frozen at 19 degrees in order to save energy. 19 degrees? That's heat! I still jump into a mountain stream today that is just under seven degrees cold or warm. Depending on where you look at it from. "For you, the glass is always half full," my wife likes to say. "You negate reality." Nevertheless, it's easier to live when the world isn't on the brink of collapse every day.

It wasn't exactly pleasant on the terrace, I honestly admit. But as a child, I knew the cold. Our bedroom was unheated. So I won't go soft in my old age. Or will I? The next day, my voice was gone and I had a terrible cold. Summer is over, even if I would like to hold on to it.