One of my carers - W has jetted off with her husband P - first for four days in Dubai (temperature yesterday 45 and sunny (ladies must keep shoulders covered at all times) and then on to Phuket for another ten days (not noted in Times weather, but Bangkok which can't be all that far away - 32 and bright). So I think we can safely say no wet weather gear or cardis needed.
Another of my carers, C, has driven up with her husband to Blackpool for the weekend (darts) - temperature (Liverpool - near enough- 17 and misty). Rain gear and cardies near at hand I would say.
My main carer has stayed at home with partner M - she came breezing in this morning in a bright Tee shirt - as she closed the front door a blast of chilly North Yorkshire air followed her in. It was blowing a gale - trees literally bending with the West Wind - sky blue in parts and plenty of big clouds, puffy white with black, angry-looking patches. Temperature? Well no more than 20 I would hazard a guess; yesterday only 5 places in the UK clocked up 20 - Isle of Wight, Leuchars, Margate,Shoreham and Southend. London reached a scorching 21! Two were cloudy and three were PC(?) - partially cloudy. London was cloudy too.
Oh the glorious days of my childhood and youth when Winters were 'proper' with loads of snow, village littered with snow men (snow people I suppose these days although it has been known up here for a strategic carrot to denote the sex of said snowman.) Sledges out, homework put on the back-burner and off straight after tea to the hills and hollows for sledging races.
And Summers started just aroud the time we broke up from school for the six week holiday. The sun always shone, the sky was that deep 'Summer Blue', everywhere the scent of honeysuckle and climbing roses. Jam sandwiches packed - bottle of 'pop' - somebody's Mum would have baked a cake. Off we would go, daylight to sundown fishing nets and jam jars in saddle bags in case a spot of fishing was fancied, cossies and towel to hand. Day after day - all Summer long.
Springs and Autumns? True to form. Spring - the first aconites, snowdrops, hazel catkins, lambs, May blossom. Autumn - leaves changing colour, nights 'drawing in', board games and jig saws got out of the cupboard under the stairs where they had languished since earlier in the year,
Holidays? Skeggie on the train which stopped, literally, about a hundred yards from the bottom of our garden - no air port queues, no delays, just a friendly 'chuff-chuff' down the line the thirty miles to the YMCA holiday camp and a week of planned activities - familiar - no serious thinking or planning needed on our part.
How wonderful to be old and have a selective memory.
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21 comments:
It might be a little bit of selective memory, but we really did have the expected four seasons back in the day. We had so much rain overnight here the garden is sodden. Today is an infuriating mix of rain and sunshine. Every time I think of taking the washing off the airer and putting it onto the outside line the heavens open and I'm glad I wasn't tempted.
I used to love the differences in the four seasons. Now all the seasons appear to have been homogonised. I can usually wear the same clothes whether it be summer or Christmas day.
Perfect last line!
Why on earth do people go to Dubai for their holidays??? I too have selective memory, but more for winters than Summers. All that snow and sledging, I loved it. These days I hate the cold, and snow in particular.
Perhaps rose-tinted but memories of much simpler and happier days. These days it's a job to know what season we're in. On Saturday here in Kent, we had what was basically an autumnal storm. Violent gusts of wind at 45-50mph blew across my garden all day and into the night, many of my flowers and shrubs had flowers and leaves stripped off of them. Today is mostly warm and sunny but we've also had two nasty storms speed across us.
Sounds like you had an enchanted youth, Pat! Glad you have so many happy memories to share with us.
It's the perfect weather here in Ontario. It's 21 C with a pleasant breeze. I just came inside after sipping two cups of coffee while watching the birds. I was thinking to myself that I want to tale full advantage of this beautiful weather before the cold winds begin to blow again.
The weather seasons are no longer as reliable as they once were. That is for sure! Your childhood memories show lots of good fun in each season.
I have been very interested in the subject of memory lately. I am currently seeking out books and listening to lectures online on the subject . I am 65 this year and the subject is a bit of an obsession with me at the moment. All my life I have had times of being interested in a certain subject at varies "stages". So, no surprise that my interest at this time is memory. Your post resonated with me Weaver. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us, your loyal followers. Jackie
The point I am making really is that of course the weather wasn't perfect every day in Summwe and similarly we didn't have masses of snow every winter. It is just that those are the days we choose to remember - the rest are pushed out of our old, and very overcrowded minds.
I think it was the comedian Jenny Eclair who said "Children these days need to spend the holidays sitting on a wall - preferably in the north of England." Simpler times.
I love 4 seasons, too, and enjoyed them when a child. There were still 4 seasons where we lived when our boys were growing up, but this last year has been scary as there was no proper winter whatsoever. I suppose the weather forecasters are guessing these days.
I, too, wonder why anyone would want to travel to any hot areas during the summer??
Hugs!
Your post sounds similar to my childhood memories of endless days exploring the wood just beyond the garden hedge, or playing hide and seek in my grandparents' little field. It never rain or was cold in the summer.
Its 80 degrees here in Toronto, not humid, sunny, a perfect day. I sat in my backyard for a long time this morning watching the birds at my birdfeeder. I live under a flight path and the planes are at 4000 feet so its back to noisy. I did enjoy the quiet when covid was raging but it sounds like everyone is travelling again.
While writing my comment seven planes passed over all on approach to Toronto . I watch to see where they are coming from or where they are going on flight radar. Crazy what amuses an old lady.
Oh I like your last sentence. You changed my thoughts on this post altogether. Yes, when we were young, the sun always shone.
I especially like that last sentence.
Oh Pat. Your last line made me laugh out loud.
They were talking along similar lines during the cricket commentary recently - all those beautiful summers we used to have. They were deep into rose-tinted territory when up pops the scorer and statistics man: No, pretty much the same number of days were lost to bad weather in every decade since records were kept. That is not to say that what is happening in Italy and the US at the moment is not very real.
Very interesting John (Stargoose). Yes the wild fires are scary and one cannot help but wonder what the future holds. I wonder about it in spite of my age - I have much loved grandchildren and great grand children and I know there will be many obstacles to overcome for those generations.
GG My first ever visit to Canada was to Toronto - many years ago now - but what a beautiful city you have there..
Nothing like the North of England for weather Tasker.
We've all faced various obstacles as we've grown into old age and no doubt your grand and greatgrandchildren will face the same. Mine started when I was five years old and two thirds of the Isle of Sheppey here was flooded under sea water in the great flood of 1953, which you can see on Channel 5 tonight.
We also had the summer long drought of 1976, the "hurricane" of 1987, being cut off from the mainland for a week by blizzards in the 1980's, last year's drought and record temperatures.
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