There's something that shocks people every time I reveal it. And what is this startling piece of info? That I'm not a fan of summer! I know that's a bit of a contradiction because I'm actually a summer baby; I like warm weather, and I love the beach. So the irony that I'm not a summer lover isn’t lost on me. I don't mind the season itself - it's just that I absolutely HATE intensely hot weather. I really don't crave the heat the way some people do. I put it down to the fact that I’m a Londoner, and that the cold and the rain is what I’m used to but then I know that that doesn’t mean much as most Londoners crave the sun – mainly because we don’t usually get any! This is a girl who harboured ambitions to go and live in Australia, but if I can't cope with a summer in London, how on earth would I cope with a lifetime in Oz?
I understand that to say you don’t like hot weather is like saying you don’t like chocolate, have never watched an episode of Friends or can't tell the Kardashians apart (I love chocolate, adore Friends, but um, the Kardashians...!) I’m not totally sure where my negativity regarding the hotter months comes from because I’m quite sure I loved it when I was a child. I put it down to the fact that as I got older I became less tolerant to the sun (or maybe the sun became less tolerant towards me!) But I don’t see anything great about sweating like a spa; having your make-up slide off your face; getting headaches, heat rash … I could go on and on. Sure we get to indulge in ice-cream, barbecues, picnics, give our summer clothes an airing, and drive with the top down if we’re lucky enough to own a convertible. But I'm still not quite a summer bunny.
While the herald of summer doesn't exactly fill me with dread, for the longest time, the realization that summer was fast approaching did make me feel quite low. People always used to ask me how I could feel like that when the sun's out and everything looks so bright and cheery. I think it's because with a lot of the jobs I held in the past, summer was always our busiest time, which meant that I worked longer hours than most people and booking time off to go on holiday was often quite a mission. So while everyone else was enjoying themselves, I was hard at work and I suppose I still associate that with summer. I feel the way most people do when it's Sunday evening and they know they've got work the next day. And that feeling continues all throughout summer... until autumn arrives - and I can breathe again!
That's right - I am very much an autumn-bordering-on-winter kind of girl. And now that my favourite season is here, I couldn't be more thrilled. I must be the only person who doesn't feel dismayed by grey skies and I have absolutely no problem when it's pelting down with rain. I'll take autumn and winter over summer any day! When planning our wedding, the original date was to be in winter (Mr. D’s birthday to be exact) but the reaction from our guests – who acted as though we’d just announced that our wedding was to be held in a morgue – made us reconsider. But we knew that we really didn't want a summer wedding for many reasons, so as a compromise, we held our wedding in the twilight month of September: technically summer but with a more autumn feel.
Most people did not share our vision of a winter wedding.(Pixabay)
But I know that I am very much in the minority - for many people, it's actually the colder seasons that create feelings of anxiety and despair, and as these seasons draw closer it's felt with a growing sense of dread which I can relate to - but for summer instead of autumn or winter! It's during these times that self-care is essential. There's lots of good things about autumn and life doesn't suddenly stop just because the sun isn't out as much or because the days are getting shorter and darker. There's lots of good things to look forward to as we reach autumn. Check out our upcoming post with lots of self-care advice and ideas of things to do to really celebrate this beautiful season.
Hmm... Perhaps I should do a similar post for summer... For myself!
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
Photos: Pixabay