Seasons and weather

There are four seasons in the year: winter, spring, summer and autumn. Each of them lasts three months.

Every new begins in winter, on the first of January. this day is a holiday in our country and people decorate their flats with New Year trees.

In Astana winter is usually a cold season. It often snows, the rivers and lakes are frozen over. The average temperature is about 20 degrees zero. The most unpleasant thing about winter is that the sun sets early and rises late - especially in December and January. The days are short, the sky is often grey, nature is sleeping and sometimes it gets rather boring.

But at the end of March the weather gets gradually milder. the sun shines more brightly. the days become longer, snow begins melting. spring comes and nature awakens after a long sleep of winter. All kinds of plants and flowers (snowdrops, tulips, primroses, etc.) come out. The grass is amazingly fresh. I can't help loving it. The birds return from the South and make their nests. They look so happy and cheerful. I feel happy with them too listening to their pleasant songs. The farmers begin the snowing campaign. They fertilize the soil, plough the fields, plant trees and vegetables. Everybody is automatically much happier in spring. You feel as if you were born anew.

Spring is followed by summer. The weather gets still warmer and sometimes it is very hot. The sky is blue and cloudness. But sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning. The gardens are gray with flowers all summer months. The corn gets golden in the fields. In summer people spend much time in the open air. They find time to go to the forest, to swim in the river, to sunbathe. Summer is a vacation time. I like it very much, but my favourite season is spring. As the great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin said: " Oh, summer, fine! I'd love you but for the heat, the mosquitoes and files".

Autumn comes in September with the beginning of the school when fruits and vegetables become ripe. It is also a very beautiful time of the year, when the weather is still warm and the leaves change their colour from green to yellow and red. Everything around is greenish-gold.

Late autumn is less beautiful. It gets colder, the days are shorter, in the morning it often freezes. last leaves fall from trees and cover the ground. there's much rain and fog. Birds fly away to warm countries. Low and heavy clouds hang in the sky. The landscape gets rather dull. Nature slowly falls asleep for winter.

In fact every season has its fine days and is pleasant in its own way. And it is not difficult to see this beauty.