The British Summer

Nothing, NOTHING, is more perfect than the British summer, when she does decide to show up. For two weeks of what should be a twelve week season we get the perfect summer weather; sun shining, sky as blue as the ocean on the coast of Italy, trees green, full of life and blossoming with flowers, and the perfect temperature. Yes, summer in Britain is like no other. I try not to travel in the summer if its not for business, because everything I want is right here at home.

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Today was the first properly summer days we’d had all year. All week the whether has shown up and shown out for us but this weekend kicked it up several notches and as per usual, we decided to have a barbecue; it would’ve been rude not to. Another thing, and possibly my favourite thing about the summer, is the people it brings together, our nearest and dearest. We called up a few friends and family at a moment’s notice and- after looking in the fridge and cupboards, realising there was nothing worthy of the occasion and there were several hungry mouths on the way over- we made a mad dash to the store for the usual barbecue ingredients; charcoal, ribs, fish, chicken, plantains, salads, beers and buns, fired up the grate and got the party started.

Hungry, happy mouths arrived a short while later, with more food and drinks, conversation happy and loud, chairs creaked as laughter flowed around the table that groaned from the strain of plates of good food and bottles of cold drinks. Too much fun was had by the children splashing around, the wind blew nice and gentle, and chatter criss-crossed the table as we made plans for the season, which mostly consists of more gatherings and weekend jaunts to not do far isles. Don’t you just love the summer!

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It is a factly widely acknowledged that British weather can be hauntingly melancholic, a fact which has made the British butts of many jokes. It can be a right fuck up for a hundred days, and then on the hundred and first, it shows up, flaunting the heat, teasing us with its breeze, green lawns lusciously mocking, sun flowers laughing almost, as we take full advantage of the blissful weather, as if we’d never seen her before. It is the most fabulous time and nothing quite like it anywhere in the world.

As we go into the new week, forecast is for rain, bloody typical innit, but we will always have the memories of the weekend the summer was.

To many more summers with you and yours. Cheers.