Summer

‘Cor, it’s ’ot, innit?! Innit ’ot?!’ Si Fox muses...

Image: Craig Putterill

I’ve been hearing this a lot recently. Even the weather people on the News have joined in. ‘Day fourteen of the heatwave engulfing the entire country!’ they exclaim from the comfort of their air-conditioned studios, whilst a picture of parched grass taken by Dave from Bridlington is beamed onto the green screen behind them.

Is it a ‘heatwave’ though? Is it enough to get Martha and the Vandellas bursting into song? I’m not so certain. Surely this is just ‘Summer’. I mean, I don’t want to view things through rose-tinted glasses, but I seem to remember every summer was like this when I was a lad back in the 80s. School would break up, and six long weeks lay before us.

I’d wake up at seven every morning, the sun streaming through the window, the warm glow bathing my face as another glorious day started with Timmy Mallett and his WACaday shenanigans on the television, then it was out to play all day with friends.

Image: Paul Plumridge

the Welland, around Scout Island, looking for adventure. It was like a mini Swallows and Amazons, except I couldn’t swim, and was scared witless of the swans that came to have a nosy.

Then, as teenagers, as the long hot summers continued, me and my mates used to spend every moment frontin’ and maxin’, chillin’ in the car we spent all day waxin’, before heading off to a barbecue at 4. Except we didn’t… That’s from the song ‘Summertime’ by Will Smith, who knew how to enjoy those lazy days. He wasn’t vandalising parks and scaring old folk, bored out of his mind. We didn’t either. That’s the only thing I have in common with Will Smith! Image: Paul Plumridge

So yes, it’s hot. It’s a monster to work in, especially if you’re doing manual work, or sitting in an office without air-con, but it wasn’t so many years ago it rained solidly for about 10 months, flooding everywhere. And it was only this year that a lot of us were snowed in. That’s the beauty of England, you never know what you’re going to get (a bit like a box of chocolates, ahem).

So let’s make the most of it. Let the kids play outside, instead of staring at screens in their bedrooms; let us greet each other with a cheery ‘Hello’ as we try and ambush the ice-cream van for a 99, but most of all, let’s stop calling it a ‘heatwave’. It’s Summer!!!