First day of summer

I will certainly never be among the first to declare that spring has turned to summer, rather the contrary. I am the one who will be the last to wear long sleeves and pantyhose and whose body doesn’t tolerate any kind of draught without consequences, be it wind or air-conditioning. This is a genetic annoyance I’ve had to live with and it isn’t getting any better with age, I’m afraid.

They said in the news today that the progress of spring towards summer is now two weeks behind here. I must agree nature is behind. In our garden, the forsythia (onnenpensas) that was blooming when we returned from Catalonia two weeks ago only just dropped its yellow flowers and developed leaves and the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is not in full blossom yet.

Nevertheless, I cannot but report that summer has arrived to our corner of the world. The temperature rose above +25°C (+77°F), which is regarded as the limit for heat around here. This figure might not mean warm enough for me to change into lighter gear but today it meant summer. My wearing short sleeves and no pantyhose and staying most of the day outdoors is the best proof one could possibly have. Let’s see about the consequences tomorrow.