13 tell-tale signs that summer is just around the corner
Summer affects us all. Even months before it finally arrives, the favourite time of year for so many people already has us making slight changes to our behaviour and routines. To the long list of crazy things we do as summer approaches we should definitely add making lists of hundreds of things we say we’re going to do but never actually do. Living in Tenerife, it is summer almost all year round compared to most of Europe, which gives us a wider margin to achieve all the things we set out to do.
Here are some tell-tale signs that summer is on its way that many of us will experience over the next few weeks. Have a read and make a self-diagnosis: do you suffer from summer-itis?
- We suddenly remember that we have feet. This also applies to other body parts that remain hidden for most of the year. Feet, in particular, get forgotten about under thick socks during winter and now we begin to face the harsh reality that if we want to get them out on show, for everyone’s sake, we need to pamper them a bit.
- Barbecues are back. Either we head to the mountains for an open-air barbecue without the risk of rainfall or we dust off the one in our garden. Such is our passion for cooking outdoors in summer that we take the list of food items that we try and barbecue to the absolute limit. Let us save you the experiment – the further you keep tofu from the flames, the better.
- We spend most of our day in our underwear. And that’s the best-case scenario. As civilised members of society we realise that when we leave the house we need to put on a minimal amount of clothing at least, but that doesn’t stop us from taking everything off as soon as we get home before lying on the sofa next to a fan or the air-con.
- We make endless lists to be sure not to miss out on anything. We love reading lists of things to see and do during the best months of the year. Then we enjoy making our own list, inspired by everything we’ve read. We won’t do half of the things on it, of course, but at least the lack of a list won’t be the reason why.
- We proudly show off our devotion to flip-flops. Flip-flops for the beach, flip-flops to go walking and yes, even flip-flops to go out for dinner. For a few months, no other footwear exists and we show off our collection of this summer essential in a range of colours, not forgetting the shiny models with jewels encrusted for a more glamorous touch on a night out. A true symbol of summer, you can even find post cards and a range of flip-flop inspired souvenirs.
- We promise ourselves we’ll eat healthily. But we forget one other summer essential – ice cream! We visualise ourselves on the beach eating juicy watermelon, yet when the moment comes what we really fancy is a refreshing cocktail. How can you resist them when they look so inviting with their attractive little umbrellas and fresh fruit – and that’s not even mentioning how good we feel after drinking a couple of them.
- We’re convinced we’ll do something sporty every single day. And good intentions are what matters, surely? Going for an evening summer jog may be the perfect plan for some; we, on the other hand, prefer to sip a mojito at sunset, watching others get into shape. If only toned muscles were contagious…
- We buy a new wardrobe of clothes months before we can actually wear them. Despite the fact that the skies are still grey and cloudy rather than sunny and blue, you’ve not been able to resist that floral maxi dress and you’ve already bought the perfect sandals to match the linen trousers you picked up last week. Even though you’re probably still weeks away from being able to wear the items for the first time, at least you’ve got your summer wardrobe ready to welcome the season when it arrives.
- We have a list of books we’re going to read. Even though we never manage it at any other time of year, we have the bizarre belief that during the sunniest months of the year, coupled with the fact that all our favourite series have finished on TV, we are going to find the time to catch up on all the reading we haven’t done in the rest of the year. At least we’ll try…
- We become experts in DIY and cooking. The only reason we’ve not appeared on Masterchef is due to a lack of time, let’s be clear – nothing to do with how our recipes turn out. Now we have holidays coming up we’re absolutely sure that we can master any recipe we’ve been putting aside, not to mention all those DIY projects waiting for us. They’ll be on Pinterest in no time for the rest of the world to admire.
- We try to spend more time with the family. This is a pretty easy task and one that we actually do achieve, however we soon realise why we don’t see them very often for most of the year. However much we love our families, they can be a lot easier to deal with when you only see them every now and then.
- We consider ourselves expert photographers. Whatever we do during the holidays, there will almost definitely be a daily photo uploaded to our social network pages. Even a simple ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, if you apply the right filter and position the plate so you can get the ocean as a backdrop, can end up as a genuine work of art. Or at the very least it’s just another reminder to our virtual friends that we are on holiday and they are not.
- We plan to spend as much time as possible outdoors. The good weather we’ve all been waiting for is finally here, so we need to take full advantage of it by spending every waking moment in the fresh air. Until we realise that mosquitoes are really quite annoying, and we really don’t like having to cover ourselves in sun cream every hour. It’s also so much hotter than we imagined it would be when we were lying on the sofa next to the fan. Sometimes, you know, being outside seems so much better from inside…
