Summertime as Jazzy Jeff and the fresh prince used to sing of
doesn’t seem to come around as much as when I was a kid. I remember long summer
holidays with sunburnt legs, drawing on the concrete with chalk, building dens
and water fights. Trips to the beach and licking ice creams full of sand. Laying warm legs on cool grass at the park for
a picnic. Now we’re lucky if we get a
break in the clouds for five minutes.
I find today’s summers deflating. I never
complain of the heat, ever. I love the summer sunshine, it makes me happy.
Since my first child was born it has rained every summer. Yes we get occasional
bursts of sunshine and heat but didn’t they used to last for weeks and
contribute to our perception of summertime as a sunny time? I can almost feel
the vitamin D deficiency developing.
So what can I say of summertime, something I haven’t seen
for a long time? Just that I miss it.