venern: I know it's summer when...

We are getting into June. The 'moody teenager' that is British weather; one minute perfectly happy and sunny, the next clouds and a deluge for no apparent reason. It makes me think what is summer to me? I read a lot of blogs from all over the world and you'd think summer would represent a pretty coherent group of things to people, but not always.

To me, I know it's summer when we put bunting in the garden between the apple trees...

When we make fresh fruit pavlova most weekends...

When I spend a lot of time in these chairs, watching the Boos do 'shows' or tennis practice or space-hopper challenges...

I know it's summer when I have bare feet pretty much all the time.

I know it's summer when the biblical hayfever that I am afflicted with takes hold and no matter what I do I can not touch my eyes, under any circumstances. Uninterrupted nights' sleep becomes a distant memory. I imagine puffs of pollen literally wafting around my bedroom....

I know it's summer when my legs get really brown and every other part of me is not. I look like I have been dipped feet first...

I know it's summer when the Red Arrows fly over our house...for summer events like Glorious Goodwood...

I know it's summer when we can go to bed at 10pm and it's still not fully dark...a direct childhood memory all rolled up in one? Sleeping when it's light...

I know it's summer when I want to buy dress after dress (all linen or floaty cotton), open-toed sandals, flip-flops; everything soft and easy. As close to undress as one can be when dressed...

I know it's summer when posies from the garden are table tops and shelves...