It happens every year. Some years it lasts but for a couple of days («если нам повезёт – на выходных» [if we’re lucky – on a weekend]), while other years it can remain with us for a week or perhaps even two, this beautiful creation of Mother Nature – «бабье лето» [Indian summer]. After a cold and rainy September the Ural Mountains has seen sunshine and almost 20 degrees above Celsius since October arrived. Of course, I couldn’t do anything else but go for a walk in the park today, and, of course again, I was not the only one in town with this idea. The park of my choice also turned out to be the choice of everyone and their mom [literally!] for a place to enjoy the weekend «наприроде» [in nature]. Though it turned out to be just as much fun to watch Russians, as it was to solely soak up this year’s last sunshine, but anyway, back to word of the week! The first word used in the expression above is the rather informal adjective «бабий», which means ‘woman’s’, thus making a literal translation of the expression “woman’s summer”. I wonder why? The Swedish equivalent is called “brittsommar”, which is not, speaking in pure lexicological terms, too far away from the Russian, as Britt is a female given name in Sweden (remember Britt Ekland?). The adjective is made from the noun «баба», which is a very colloquial word for woman. Even when used in different contexts, this word is almost always considered condescending and impolite. The explanation of the expression in Russian, from my dearly loved and forever trusted Толковый словарь русского языка Ожегова и Шведовой, is as follows: «бабье лето – это ясныетёплыеднираннейосени» [Indian summer – it is clear, warm days of early fall]. Other expression using the same adjective are, for example «бабьисказки» [old wives’ tales], which in Russian is the same as «вздор, вымысел» [nonsense, fantasy; untruth, falsehood, fabrication, fiction], and «бабьецарство» [petticoat government].