Is it Summer…?

Howdy!

How is everyone doing on this fine, sunny day (note: weather was accurate at time of writing).

Shall we play British Summer-Sayings BINGO?  A point for every one of these you’ve heard or said since the “heatwave” began:

“It’s scorchio out there”  (bonus point for terrible accent attempt)

“I’m roasting”

“I’m not complaining…but it’s almost too hot”

“It’s bloody boiling”  (often accompanied by puffed cheeks and the wave of a makeshift fan: menu/concertina-d scrap of paper/beer mat – delete as applicable)

“Summer’s finally here then!”  (followed by a chuckle, upward nod and raised eyebrows – see below)

 

Last week I was lucky enough to have booked annual leave on the hottest day!  My lovely niece and I spent some overdue, quality time together at the beach, eating, chilling, eating some more and floating around in the sea whilst chin-wagging.  I blissfully channelled my inner Moana, floating around and singing various songs from the soundtrack, then lounged about on my gritty towel.  I’m not one of those people who hate sand – yes, I know it is annoying when found in crevices or sandwiches – but it’s Nature’s foot exfoliant and is part of the experience*.

*ask me again when I am cursing whilst hoovering my car mats and the seams of my leather seats.

I love hearing the waves and gulls (thieving b@stards); the giggling children; parents beckoning “come back in!” to the cheeky ones who are trying their luck; the sound of frustrated adults attempting to inflate massive crocodile and unicorn floats…a quintessentially British day at the seaside.

Stepping into the cold sea feels like ice-picks are attacking my body for a few seconds, but there is something about the chilly, salty water on my lips and sun-warmed skin, that makes me feel really happy and at ease.  My day is fulfilled once I am having my post-beach shower, little rivulets of sand pooling around my tanned feet and in-between the whites of my toes (which are a shade darker than the expanse of snow-white skin between my boobs and my bum!).

PS. I stand by the most British phrase of all, the obligatory “it’s lovely once you’re in…”

 

 

There is, however, one thing I CANNOT STAND when visiting the seaside…

Going to the toilet for a wee, whilst wearing a soaking wet swimsuit.  IT IS THE WORST.  It seems like a good idea at the time, until I find myself squeezing back in to my sodden costume like a sweaty chef  trying to fill a chipolata sized sausage skin with a haggis.

***

Looking after my wellbeing (sausage belly aside) means doing the things that make me feel happy or relaxed.  Hanging out with friends, scoffing a delicious brunch, seeing a theatre show – these are all things I look forward to with very little anxiety.  Other times I need to be by myself to re-energise.  It can be as simple as reading a book in the bath, baking brownies, or a solo trip to the cinema (sitting in the dark to watch a film and eat sweets is perfection).

Last week I attended a wellbeing workshop with some of my team and came away feeling inspired, happy and full (having eaten a pastry the size of my face).  That same evening, I enjoyed a Summer Solstice event on the farm, spending time with a handful of like-minded ladies, chatting and creating vision boards with positive affirmations.  Oh, and cake.

Please note, we were neither naked nor part of a ritual sacrifice. 

 

Then the next day I met up with a friend for an organised “Ghost walk”.   It was a chance to do something different, the sun was out and I was feeling positive about moving my body a bit.  Unfortunately, we didn’t really learn about many ghosts in that hour and a half…but there was definitely a lot of walking.  After 2 miles, straddling a fence and avoiding deadly hemlock, we finally got back to the pub and sunk a well-earned frosty cider.  God, I felt clammy.

***

I don’t know if it’s my age, or maybe something in the way the stars and planets have aligned, but 2024 is proving to be a tough one.

There is hardly a soul who is having a good time of it.  And I’m not referring to minor hiccups, it’s full-on sad/stressful/tragic/scary…or a combination of the lot.

Yes, some of us are in our mid-forties and so we’re facing the daily struggles of our own health and hormones.  But it’s more than that.

We are suffering with burn-out and poor mental health; our parents are older, vulnerable and some are no longer with us; we are trying to love and protect our children in a way that gives them choice and freedom – but we are also desperate to keep them safe.

Essentially, life is f@cking hard.

Some days can be easier, some are hardly bearable.  There is loss, grief, pain, fear.  There is the unknown.

I can’t give you any answers and I don’t have a wealth of advice.  I wish I did.  I wish I could scoop everyone up and make it all OK.  But that isn’t possible.

And part of the beauty of life, sadly, is it’s fragility.

So, even if just for 5 minutes today, I urge you to try and find some light.  It’s absolutely OK to have emotions.  Sometimes you might flounder and wonder if things will ever be “normal”.   There are times when it hurts to feel.  But it’s how we process.  It is what makes us human.

What also makes us human is our capacity to love.  Self-love, friendships, relationships, family, pets… even Nature.  Think of what, or whom, makes you feel light and cherish it.

Take care everyone x