Autumn in August?

So . . . I apologize for the disrupted chronology here, but I´d like to jump forward from my camping trip to the present tense. I don´t know if it was just two days ago, or maybe three, but things here have changed suddenly. It was fairly sunny and warm over the weekend. 'Warm' in a relative sense, since it really never gets above 20 here in Reykjavík, although it can in other areas in Iceland. But just the other day I went out to meet some friends and it smelled like fall, there was cold rain in the air, a chilly wind, and leaves were on the ground in suspiciously colourful hues . . . This is not overly unusual in other places where I´ve lived long enough to see some seasons change (Maple Ridge BC, London Ontario, Victoria BC). Sometimes there is a pre-fall, or a fall preview in late August or early September, and then another few weeks of hot and summer-like weather before the autumn really gets going in earnest. I'm not sure this is how things work here in Reykjavík. One of my relatives confirmed for me last night that, yes, indeed, autumn has arrived here, and it will be increasingly cold and wet and dark from now on. No more summer. So we'll see.

If anyone is under the impression that Iceland is always dark and cold and icy and such, perhaps you should come here during June-August to have your perception changed. I´ve got a tan (and I didn't do so on purpose), I´ve had at least one sunburn, and I did pack t-shirts and shorts, and I have used them, along with sandals. It can be a nice place in the summer. I've never known it to be otherwise, but I've only ever visited during June-August, so I'm interested to see what September is like!

Above is a photo taken from the top of the Ráðhús Reykjavíkur (the Reykjavík City Hall, my favourite building in the city!) looking at a lazy evening post-rain sky over the city as the sun is low on the horizon behind me at about 10pm. Only two months ago the sun would still have been quite high in the sky at this time of night, and would only have touched the horizon at a few moments past midnight. Now we get honest and truthful darkness here for about two hours every night, sometime around 1am I guess. You can see stars (when the skies are clear) and when I stayed at Hólaskjól I saw the first stars I'd seen since visiting Christina's family cottage back in late June in Ontario. I also got to see the Perseid meteor shower that night! Very spectacular! I saw the moon for the first time when I was in Mývatn, but I only saw it for two nights, very low on the horizon, and I have not seen it since . . .