I have a feeling that might have been the summer

There's an amazing phenomenon that occurs round these parts at the first hint of a sunny day, and it comprises many varying aspects. This past weekend brought a healthy dose of sunshine and so I was lucky enough to encounter a few of them. The first is that perennial favourite, the 'Sunday Driver'. This occurs when every elderly person with a car piles their entire family and a few friends into said car for a "run along the coast". To complete this fun adventure it is essential to pack a flask of tea and a packet of Digestive biscuits to enjoy in a carpark, or indeed the car if it's too blowy for getting out. The downside to this jolly activity is the delay which results for every driver with an actual reason to be driving along the coast (say to collect your child and a friend from a BB fun day), and the obvious road rage that builds with the painful 25mph journey!

Another aspect of the sunshine phenomenon is the need to wear one's most summery clothes, whether the sun is accompanied by warmth or not. This is best observed at a local shopping centre or in the town, where you can spot many a happy young man in full football kit, accessorised with shades and flip flops - .preferably of the variety he can't quite walk in without sliding his feet along the ground in a rather slovenly fashion. The young ladies can be seen sporting a strappy top and mini skirt or shorts with fabulous high heeled sandals and the obligatory shades. No doubt sales of suncream soar with such drastic skin exposure! Alas, I find that gradually exposing one body part at a time is more than ample to be getting on with, and while the sun did shine, it was a tad chilly for my liking. The body part of choice for me this past weekend was my feet (those of you with objections to photos of feet should look away now.)

 

My favourite aspect of the sunny day phenomenon is the bbq. Nothing shouts "Summer is here!" like the smell of every bbq in the neighbourhood being fired up for the first time. Excitement abounds as dads around the country dust off their giant bbq accessories and get the flames going amidst cries of "What do you want done first?" as mums bring out plates with enough uncooked meat to feed a small nation! And then we proceed to eat approximately twice what we would eat at a normal teatime, just because it's bbq food and it really does taste so much nicer.

Anyway, wittering aside, we found ourselves partaking of a few fun garden activities, like water balloons, our new Jungle Gym and 'trains in the garden' (the outside version of 'trains'). See evidence below.

(It's hard to actually make it out but that is the water balloon bursting over daddy.)

 

 

 

So how was the sunshine for you?