Summer

I am freakishly affected by the weather, far more than most I am certain. Just ask those who know me best, if you want to know what the weather is going to be like in the next few hours, ask me, I will know. Month-by-month, day-by-day, hour-by-hour, I will know. Perhaps it’s a bit obsessive, however when you like to spend most of your waking hours in the out of doors, you simply need to know.

When people reach back into their memories and tell me how amazing the weather was, how hot it was, they seem to have formed some version of amnesia. They never seem to recall anything but perfection. I however remember it with astute clarity, as likely I was actually out in it, riding my bike. When you are outside, you retain every miserable or wonderful detail with shocking precision. I remember the horrors of the never-ending winters, the sad excuses for summer and those odd perfect days. I am like an elephant: I never forget. Everyone else is just pretending to make themselves feel better.

Perfect summery blue sky in the vines.

Perfect summery blue sky in the vines.

So it’s fair to say as a whole, Canada gets shafted when it comes to summer. Hailing from southern Ontario, there summer is often long, hot and humid. It’s a proper summer, followed by all the other expected seasons in due course. In my mind, it’s not a bad deal for Canada. Calgary is something entirely different. Seasons other than winter sometimes show up, most times do not. This summer was the best we’ve had in at least a decade, and tragically it came to a screeching halt after only a mere 6 weeks… alas, I left just in the nick of time.

So here I sit in Provence where it’s been cooler than normal, but sunny and without much wind. When I say cooler than normal, most Calgarians would be dying from the heat as it’s been in the high 20’s. For me it’s perfect. Anything below 25 degrees and I’d be donning a pair of jeans and a light sweater. Summer is far too short in my estimation in general, but here near the Mediterranean it’s practically perfect. It rarely snows; you still get all the seasons, just without needing your Canada Goose coat. So I feel grateful that my summer gets to continue for at least another month. I am grateful to be here every time I bite into a juicy peach or a super-sweet tomato, where the proceeds of summer are abundant. I am grateful to feel heat on my skin and sun on my face and to wear nothing but shorts and tank tops knowing it will carry on for another long while.

I am grateful to you summer, for being just so darn spectacular when you do come out to play.