25th July Summer or the "run up" you decide.....

Another day, the end of a week where the children have broken up for the summer and suddenly the roads seem quieter, funny that!!

But what does the summer really bring and how is it already looking to winter.......

The weather is (finally) nice and hot and the sky is full of birdsong. Now is a time to drink cold drinks, eat outside and linger over long evenings with food and drink, maybe friends, maybe some music. Possibly just in silence to enjoy the evening peace as darkness falls. How nice and idealistic.

But what really happens? What do we really do?

Well forget peace and quiet, no doubt this will be shattered with calls from children and all to often tears to grab attention. Forget food and drink other than whatever is "in the house" often this does allow for cold beer or similar. All to frequently though it means a glass of water or a cup of coffee left on the side to go cold whilst we deal with the immediate needs of others!!

So how do we return to the idealism of summer??

Well I say go outside now and look around. Look at the great outdoors and how this can be benefitted from.

There is no reason to get up early as the children are on school holiday, so if they go to bed real late - who cares!!

If the children want to fight and cry - let them, if we ignore their attention seeking they will soon stop, if they are really hurt they will tell us!!!

And if we only have water - so what!! fill a glass, find a forgotten nook in the garden and just sit quietly in blissful solitude.

Now is a great time to reflect, invite friends in and just enjoy the now!! I know it can be hard, I know how easy it is just to withdraw into ourselves and not share anything with anyone. Sometimes though it is better to screw up our courage, bite the bullet and integrate.

And this is why -

It is July 25th today and already retail is focussed on Christmas and January sales.

QVC has a "Christmas in July" weekend and BidUp TV has a Christmas weekend of auctions. If we go into the shops they are going through sales to clear space for a new season. If we go into large supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury) I guarantee that they are starting to leave the tops of gondalos clear, putting up temporary storage outside and selling off "seasonal" lines as they start looking towards the festive period.

So last Christmas is only just becoming a memory, last winter is still fresh in our minds as a bleak period. Spring has sprung and Summer is becoming the usual wash-out.

BUT it is only the end of July!!!

I openly admit to loving Christmas and all it offers. I love the pre-Christmas build up and the festivities pretty much up until January 6th. Between then and April I have issues but that is another entry!!!

Now I say STOP!!!

Christmas is wonderful, everything surrounding it is great but how can we think of Christmas in July? Or August and September? Harrods opens its Christmas store this weekend, by the middle of August it will be amazing how much Christmas is all around.

So I say do not get fully Christmassed up until AFTER halloween. The clocks will go back and then it is truly the run up.

But for now, in July and August just enjoy the summer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Have long nights, see friends and family and sit outside in the sun. Find that quiet place for solitude.

I love Christmas and find lots of resons to "mention" it a lot, but even I have to adhere to my advice!!!

Tell me your advice or thoughts, I would love to hear.................