Well it’s more than overdue, but just this week in my little village, we finally reached a very special time of year… A time when you can walk around comfortably in only one layer. When you can proudly show off your newly acquired lobster colour, and talk everyone’s ears off about how roasting it is. That’s right… It’s taps aff!
I’m sure the rest of the country hit this milestone a while back, but where I live, we’d still been prone to hailstones at the start of the month. In fact, only a fortnight ago, a torrential rainstorm hit us so badly that it damaged some sort of pipe in my attic or roof. Either way, the rain started coming through the ceiling, which was a little bit scary.
But just this Tuesday, as I went out to feed the birds, I felt a strange sensation. I didn’t have the urge to immediately flee back inside as soon as I’d chucked some fat balls and wormies at the starlings who were already waiting on the fence. I didn’t feel nipping on my fingers as I wrung out the washing before hanging it on the line. And speaking of washing, it was actually drying? No damp patches that required a second day outside? It could only be one thing… The sun!
I hadn’t seen the big ball in the sky for so long I’d forgotten what it looked like, or what it felt like to have a warm ray shining on you. Almost in a frenzy, I got ready for my morning walk, donning my usual lined trousers, thick shirt and jacket, just in case the temperature in my backyard was somehow isolated from the rest of the world. I started my walk, and only made it a few minutes before I felt stiflingly warm. It hadn’t been a fluke after all- it was roasting outside!
I tore off the jacket with gusto, and announced to every person that I passed: ‘Boiling today, isn’t it!’ as I made my way round the village and onto the beach to get back home. That afternoon, it was too hot (even with the fan on) to do my dancing for more than a few minutes at a time without stopping to recover, but it was so nice to have some warm weather that I didn’t even mind.
I went to sleep that night thinking it would probably be a one off, and surely I’d wake up to the typical grey blanket that covers our sky most days. But no! It was sunny again the next day. And the next day after that!
This time, one village walk wasn’t enough to properly make the most of the weather, so I headed off to another town for a longer one. As I sat on the bus, I saw that everyone else had clearly been having the same idea, as they were all significantly more red and crispy than the last time I’d seen them. One woman (now hiding under an umbrella) even showed me her hand which had literally blistered under the sun.
With all this commotion, I took a look at my weather app, wondering why we’d suddenly been blessed with 20 something degree heat. But to my great surprise, it insisted that it was only 14. And even worse, apparently it was only supposed to feel like 13!
Surely we aren’t so starved for sun that a measly 14° can get us all in a party mood? Despite it being right on the screen, I was in disbelief- and spent ages saying as much to anyone who dared mention the weather. (Everyone…)
In the end, no matter what temperature it technically was, it felt boiling, and everyone was enjoying it, which is the main thing. Here in the UK we get a lot of flak for constantly going on about the weather, which is fair! But there’s also something kind of wholesome about finding a topic that everyone can join in with, and that gets people so excited.
I walked about 7km, before I felt the tingling of a future blister, and decided to head back home. It was late afternoon by then, and the scenery was looking particularly atmospheric. I’ve long thought that a bus journey is one of the best places to daydream and get ideas for scenes. But a bus journey combined with the glorious weather outside the window? Well it doesn’t get much better than that for inspiration!
I got quite a few scenes for different stories written down, all with a Summer-y feeling to them. Maybe it’s all the heat that cranks up the intensity, but a Summer vibe can really make for some tension-filled stuff, with plenty of anticipation and longing. It’s such a distinct feeling that I find really enjoyable to write about.
Sadly though, a bus journey only lasts so long, and I got back home. That night, I even took a look at the forecast, which I don’t usually do- it’s enough to make you miserable, after all. And I saw that this hot streak won’t last much longer. Some rain is due in the day after tomorrow, because, well, of course it is! So, while it might not be quite time for Summer yet, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this little glimpse into the season, and I look forward to the real thing, and all the fun writing opportunities it’ll bring with it!
Thank you very much for reading!
Photo Prompt!
So for this week’s photo prompt I’ve got a picture of a rather unusual fellow who was also enjoying the good weather.
At first, this just looks like a really average picture of the beach. But if you zoom in a bit closer, you can see something odd…
When I first saw this creature with my terrible eyesight, I thought it was just a really huge dog. One of those big Samoyeds or something like that. But I zoomed in even closer, and saw that it had a very long neck…
That’s an alpaca, right? I’m not losing my mind? Someone is walking their alpaca on the beach. I didn’t want to just go up to them and ask about it, but I couldn’t help but watch from a distance. It’s absolutely adorable that this dude is getting to enjoy the seaside as well, and I have to say, he walked very calmly!
The Worlds Worst Writer (Maybe) 
Wow. That sky is so beautifully blue and clear. That’d make anyone feel good.
I had a laugh at your 14 degrees being boiling! You’ve obviously been starved of the sun too long. We have 28 here somedays and if it drops down to below 20 I’m reaching for my fleece. I’m so glad you enjoyed the nice weather though, and you’re right about the summer bringing feelings of intensity and longing as well as joy and fun. I hope you have a good summer.
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