How has it been three months since I last did a seasonal update? Spring has come and gone and before we know it, we'll be halfway through the year. Maybe it's just because I've been so busy, but 2018 seems to be absolutely flying by!
So, now that summer is here at last (or as much of a summer as the great British weather will allow us this year) it's time for another of these updates. Each changing season will mean different things to everyone, but just what exactly does summer mean to The Writing Greyhound?
Summer means long days and even longer nights; a paradox that may not make sense logically but makes plenty of sense when you really stop to consider it. Summer means those hot, hazy days spent outdoors enjoying the weather or sheltering inside, trying in vain to find a non-existent breeze. Summer means doors and windows flung wide open, attempting to coax cooler air into overheated buildings.
Summer means a lapse of concentration and a fall in productivity. Summer means warmth and drowsiness; contentment and thoughts of bright, happy days. Summer means spending more time outside than in - walking, exploring, visiting and remembering. Summer means memories and feelings, thoughts that will verge on the edge of consciousness but never be quite forgotten.
Summer means lunchtimes on the school field, laughing with friends and feeling included. Summer means bike rides and woodland walks and picnics in the park. Summer means days out, weekends away and holidays. Summer means escaping the humdrum reality of daily life and indulging in the life of a traveller for such a short, sweet amount of time.
Summer means quenching thirst with ice cream, gulping down mouthfuls of water to soothe your parched throat and trying not to rub your itchy eyes. Summer means hay fever, bites and stings; the constant plague of wasps, ants, and other creepy-crawly insects. Summer means panting dogs and tired pets, animals too hot and too lazy to do little else than flick their tails, twitch their ears, and do their best to discourage the relentless swarm of flies surrounding them.
Summer means the sea and the beach; the blissfully cool sea on your sweaty, hot feet and digging your toes into the sand. Summer means relaxing on the beach, finding sand in every fold of your clothing, getting salt in your eyes and splashes of water up your jeans. Summer means sandcastles and fish and chips, doughnuts in the evening and sticks of rock, enjoyable, sticky, but never quite finished.
Summer means sitting in the caravan listening to the rain drumming down on the roof, amplified throughout the metal and lulling you to sleep at night. Summer means sudden downpours and morning dew - the necessity of carrying a raincoat and sunglasses with you wherever you go.
Summer means driving with the windows down and the stereo cranked up, tunes with those summer vibes rolling out of the car and across the landscape, announcing your arrival as they go. Summer means sunburn and tanning, the gradual process of fading from red to brown. Summer means little puffs of dust rising from the trail with each footstep, chalk and sand coating your summer shoes and constant blisters from cheap sandals, hot feet and ill-fitting summer shoes.
Summer means family and friends, entertainment, relaxation, travel and some of the best memories the year can bring. Summer is a season unlike any other; a season that brings a wholly different sense of melancholy and sadness when this all-too-brief annual escape from reality comes to another end.
Interested in finding out my thoughts about autumn? Keep checking back to discover the final post later in the year!
Which season is your favourite? What's your favourite thing about summer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment