The most eye-catching colour of autumn is red, and it is everywhere to be seen.
秋天最奪目的顏色，是紅色，祇要舉頭張望便四處可見。
You can even see red in the sky!
萬里長空中的一點紅
April had plenty of days when there wasn’t a cloud in the blue skies and the weather was still warm. What better ways are there to spend those times than casually sauntering in the quiet streets – even the courtyard within the National Gallery of Victoria in the heart of the city. Time seems to slow to a lazy pace in the golden but gentle rays of the autumn sun and the tranquil surroundings, as if it were trying to stretch those beautiful days out as long as possible.
四月有不少日子藍天一片萬里無雲而且和暖，我當然不會放過這些好時光，在柔和的陽光下到寂靜人寥的街道閒逛——甚至是市中心維多利亞州國立藝術館內的庭園——不禁有種懶洋洋的感覺，也教人留戀秋天的美好。
An oasis of tranquility 繁囂中的一點悠閑
Autumn through a water wall
隔着水簾的秋色
Back at the start of April, two of the maple trees in my neighbourhood took the lead and started displaying a finely graded colour transition from green at the bottom to red at the top. The brilliant colour contrast delighted the hearts of many passers-by who paused to marvel at the view.
舍下附近有一兩棵楓樹，早在四月初已偷步化新妝，紅透半邊天，樹頂的紅色在樹冠底的綠色襯托下份外鮮明，樂透了駐足欣賞的遊人。
Colour palette au naturel 天然漸進色
Another tree putting on a good show
不讓楓樹專美
The maples that started their transformations late were decidedly not to be outdone. On a main street near my institute, a row of smaller maples turned completely into various shades of red, much like youths desperate to follow the latest trend but determined to be different at the same time. Those trees have given the street some much needed bright colours and life.
到最近才開始轉紅的楓樹亦不徨多讓，研究所附近的一條大街有一列小楓樹，不但整棵通紅，而且每棵都披上獨特的紅色，一眼望過去，就像幾個趕時髦一同穿了顏色差不多的服裝的人，既想顯示自己入流卻又要與別不同，令街道生色不少。
Other trees followed suit and put on a red colour in their own ways. I happened to come across a persimmon tree in the neighbourhood near my institute during a casual lunch time stroll just before Easter. Back then most of the persimmons were still green, but one week later all the fruit have ripened and become attractively red-orange. It was only too tempting to pick some and try!
添上紅色的不止是楓樹，研究所附近的寧靜小區，復活節前讓我發現掛滿了綠柿的柿樹，事隔一週便全盤變熟，一個個橙紅色的掛滿全樹，煞是誘人，但不知甜不甜？
A few Victorian-style houses near the institute have probably taken cue from nature, and one day they caught my attention with their freshly painted deep burgundy fences. The paint job did not only match the autumn sea of red but also helped to restore some former glory and charm to these classical residences.
連研究所附近的幾家古典住宅也受大自然感染，圍欄都新髹上了沉實的酒紅色，配合入秋換紅裝的潮流，令人眼前一亮，也令這些房子回復原來的古典味和氣質。
The red maple leaves would not last forever, and before long they would senesce, turn brown and be scattered everywhere with the wind. While those leaves are a pain to clean up, some managed to see an artistic side of them. A water wall in the city is where those people can put their artistic talent into action by pasting the dried leaves into words. When I saw it one evening, I joined in the fun and made the Chinese character for autumn, which I thought was quite appropriate for the times. Like the red maple leaves, these pieces of impromptu art will be washed away with time, but like many other things in life, their momentary existence is enough to give us joy and our surroundings some much needed variety. It is a matter of keeping our senses open to wonders of life like these and capturing their best moments before they are gone.
紅葉祇是一瞬間的事，轉眼又化為枯葉，大風一颳撒遍大地，對不少民居來說，掃一地落葉是苦差一樁，不過有人懂得把其轉化為藝術一種，某晚在市中心逛街時便看到行人在一堵流水牆上用枯葉貼砌出不同的字，我也即興砌出一個應景的中文字。流水牆的葉，早晚也會被水沖走，但貼砌的過程會給人帶來滿足感，也為都市加添美感，正如紅葉仍未枯前，便得把握時機，欣賞和捕捉那一陣美好時刻。
秋天最奪目的顏色，是紅色，祇要舉頭張望便四處可見。
You can even see red in the sky!
萬里長空中的一點紅
April had plenty of days when there wasn’t a cloud in the blue skies and the weather was still warm. What better ways are there to spend those times than casually sauntering in the quiet streets – even the courtyard within the National Gallery of Victoria in the heart of the city. Time seems to slow to a lazy pace in the golden but gentle rays of the autumn sun and the tranquil surroundings, as if it were trying to stretch those beautiful days out as long as possible.
四月有不少日子藍天一片萬里無雲而且和暖，我當然不會放過這些好時光，在柔和的陽光下到寂靜人寥的街道閒逛——甚至是市中心維多利亞州國立藝術館內的庭園——不禁有種懶洋洋的感覺，也教人留戀秋天的美好。
An oasis of tranquility 繁囂中的一點悠閑
Autumn through a water wall
隔着水簾的秋色
Back at the start of April, two of the maple trees in my neighbourhood took the lead and started displaying a finely graded colour transition from green at the bottom to red at the top. The brilliant colour contrast delighted the hearts of many passers-by who paused to marvel at the view.
舍下附近有一兩棵楓樹，早在四月初已偷步化新妝，紅透半邊天，樹頂的紅色在樹冠底的綠色襯托下份外鮮明，樂透了駐足欣賞的遊人。
Colour palette au naturel 天然漸進色
Another tree putting on a good show
不讓楓樹專美
The maples that started their transformations late were decidedly not to be outdone. On a main street near my institute, a row of smaller maples turned completely into various shades of red, much like youths desperate to follow the latest trend but determined to be different at the same time. Those trees have given the street some much needed bright colours and life.
到最近才開始轉紅的楓樹亦不徨多讓，研究所附近的一條大街有一列小楓樹，不但整棵通紅，而且每棵都披上獨特的紅色，一眼望過去，就像幾個趕時髦一同穿了顏色差不多的服裝的人，既想顯示自己入流卻又要與別不同，令街道生色不少。
Other trees followed suit and put on a red colour in their own ways. I happened to come across a persimmon tree in the neighbourhood near my institute during a casual lunch time stroll just before Easter. Back then most of the persimmons were still green, but one week later all the fruit have ripened and become attractively red-orange. It was only too tempting to pick some and try!
添上紅色的不止是楓樹，研究所附近的寧靜小區，復活節前讓我發現掛滿了綠柿的柿樹，事隔一週便全盤變熟，一個個橙紅色的掛滿全樹，煞是誘人，但不知甜不甜？
A few Victorian-style houses near the institute have probably taken cue from nature, and one day they caught my attention with their freshly painted deep burgundy fences. The paint job did not only match the autumn sea of red but also helped to restore some former glory and charm to these classical residences.連研究所附近的幾家古典住宅也受大自然感染，圍欄都新髹上了沉實的酒紅色，配合入秋換紅裝的潮流，令人眼前一亮，也令這些房子回復原來的古典味和氣質。
The red maple leaves would not last forever, and before long they would senesce, turn brown and be scattered everywhere with the wind. While those leaves are a pain to clean up, some managed to see an artistic side of them. A water wall in the city is where those people can put their artistic talent into action by pasting the dried leaves into words. When I saw it one evening, I joined in the fun and made the Chinese character for autumn, which I thought was quite appropriate for the times. Like the red maple leaves, these pieces of impromptu art will be washed away with time, but like many other things in life, their momentary existence is enough to give us joy and our surroundings some much needed variety. It is a matter of keeping our senses open to wonders of life like these and capturing their best moments before they are gone.
紅葉祇是一瞬間的事，轉眼又化為枯葉，大風一颳撒遍大地，對不少民居來說，掃一地落葉是苦差一樁，不過有人懂得把其轉化為藝術一種，某晚在市中心逛街時便看到行人在一堵流水牆上用枯葉貼砌出不同的字，我也即興砌出一個應景的中文字。流水牆的葉，早晚也會被水沖走，但貼砌的過程會給人帶來滿足感，也為都市加添美感，正如紅葉仍未枯前，便得把握時機，欣賞和捕捉那一陣美好時刻。
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