Unseasonably warm

It is an absolutely gorgeous autumn Saturday. There is not a cloud in the sky and it is unseasonably warm. The washing is drying on the line and the cats and I have been wandering around the house and garden companionably. James and Davie are hill-walking near Peebles so it has been very quiet and peaceful. Ally and Cat appeared at lunchtime on their way from Dunlop to a wedding in Linlithgow of one of their school friends. We ate bagels and cheese in the garden; when Cat left her plate unattended for a minute naughty Tom quickly climbed onto her seat and started slurping greedily at the butter on her bagel. We all shouted at him to stop but he merely withdrew under the seat and licked his paws in a rather self-satisfied manner.
I remarked on the warm weather as an Indian Summer *, a term which was coined by European settlers in America in the 19th century, and may have been called “Indian Summer” because it was noticed in areas inhabited by First Nation Americans. Or it could have been a good hunting season for First Nation Americans and they told the Europeans about it. However Cat told me that this isn't technically an Indian Summer, because that is how a warm spell after the first frost is described - and we haven’t had a frost yet. I found that very interesting.
When I went up to the hospital to visit Grandma she was in good spirits and we sat outside the day room in the sunshine along with lots of other patients and their families. There was a friendly atmosphere and we were all chatting. Sunshine seems to bring out the best in people.

• On researching the term, I noticed that a few people online have pointed out that the phrase has old colonial undertones which are not politically correct. I can understand this but note  that it is still in general use, also that various representatives of First Nation peoples have stated that they are not bothered by the phrase.