The lazy hazy days of summer
Once or twice a year the unthinkable happens.
The clouds disappear, the sun shines from a clear blue sky and the wind drops. The thermometer even dips its feet above twenty degrees. Weather forecasters throw caution to the winds [sic] and dare to mention the word ‘hot’.
This is known as ‘Summer’ here. If it lasts more than twelve hours it is called a ‘heatwave’.
Because our summers are so short here, rarely lasting more than forty eight hours we have a lot of hard work to do. First of all there is the scramble by the various councils to issue their warning notices about water shortages. Dublin is first off the mark this year, having put out their warning within six hours of the start of ‘summer’. No doubt other councils will be a little miffed at missing the first spot and will try to save face by imposing hose-pipe bans, water rationing or even complete disconnection of water supplies.
Another group who crave the limelight are the farmers. As soon as they even hear the word ‘summer’ they fight for places on the television news complaining how their crops are ruined by the terrible drought and how they aren’t going to be able to earn a penny this year.
Another aspect of our ‘summer’ is the moaner. Timothy Brady of Limerick wins the prize this year by complaining of the heat just after sunrise this morning. Doubtless the sole topic of conversation tonight in the pubs will be the terrible heat and when is it ever going to cool down.
Our current ‘heatwave, which started at five this morning is expected to last at least until tomorrow evening. This of course is going to lead to total insanity tomorrow as the entire country will try to drive to Brittas Bay. Those that don’t have a car will get the Dart to Seapoint. As a result, 99% of the population is going to spend tomorrow sitting in a fifty mile traffic jam bitching about the traffic and the terrible heat.
I like this kind of weather. It reminds be of the real long hot summers we had back in the fifties.
Of course that was before the days of Global Cooling.
And those people who do manage to get some sun will be all pink and glowing by tomorrow night and complaining about getting burnt.
Idiots !
Ah yes! The old Boiled Lobster Syndrome. Some people just never learn.
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i’d have commented sooner but summer arrived and i was out for the hour =]]]
It’s nearly Summer here too – we’ve just had our water cut off for the first time this year. (excluding the time Mr M put his pickaxe through the main supply to the village which was buried 6″ below the surface in our top garden! We didn’t even know it was there.)
Summer over…….back to Octember, the longest, shitiest month of the year.
How long will it be before the first person complains that we haven’t had one decent day of sunshine?
An Irish water shortage is an oxymoron surely!
We must be the only country in the world that can submerge a county under water and within weeks be rationing their supplies?
You see people craning their necks to look at the sky – they’ve started moaning – but they just aren’t sure how to finish the sentence. Remind me again, am I complaining about the heat or the cold or the damp?