It is the Summer Solstice tomorrow, with some people questioning if it is definitely summer - refusing to loosen their woolly scarf just in case - and others resolutely donning their shorts from May onward. We know that in the UK we don't do summer well. Yes everyone's very enthusiastic when the sun does come out. There is Pimms and if you like tennis and stuff like that you are fine come summer. Everybody loves a barbecue, once the veggie/meat cooking etiquette has been established. But think of those who wilt in the heat, or are sceptical about a day remaining lovely from dusk till dawn and daren't leave the house without a pac-a-mac packed. What should they do once winter/spring definitely breaks into summer? We share our summer coping skills...
1. Get a giant, lightweight bag. Pack in it sun cream, sunglasses, hay fever tablets a hoodie, a cagoule, flip flops, boots. You are now ready to go outside. Wear jeans and a t-shirt, no one can bloody fault you. Squeamish Kate
2. Living in the UK at the moment you don't really need to worry about seasons - it's been grey, wet and about 13 degrees for the last 12 months at least. I think seasons were scrapped. I've been wearing the same type of clothes (jeans and a t-shirt, coat when I'm outside) all year round. I seem to recall I had to wear a jumper for a week or so in January, but that's about it. I'm hoping there will be a couple of weeks around July where I might start leaving my coat at home but I'm not convinced that'll happen. Gareth
3. The changing of the seasons for me has brought a tan but more sadly something I thought to be a cold and then a week later realised was hay fever. I've been popping pills, spritzing nasal spray and dropping drops into my red raw eyes. I do seem however to be building up a nice tan. So if you don't suffer from allergies my advice is wear sunscreen! Squeamish Nicola
4. Factor 50. Cut all my tights off just above the knee. Big hat. You can never have too many pairs of sunglasses. Oh, and just rejoice in the fact that it's now socially acceptable for dinner to be a baguette, a chunk of brie and a bottle of white wine in the park with friends. It's a picnic, so that's ok then. In fact, that applies to all of summer - somehow sitting on the sofa in front of the TV all winter is bad, but if you sit in the park with a book for the same amount of time, well, you're getting fresh air and enjoying your surroundings. Squeamish Louise
5. I don't know about these seasonal transitions, to tell you the truth. In England there are only two seasons: cold and wet and grey for ten months of the year, and sporadically sunny but definitely a bit less grey for the other two months. So I don't really transition between seasons in any traditional sense. In Washington DC, where they have four clearly defined seasons, the mark between spring and summer was the switch from long-sleeved teeshirts (no cardies needed) in spring, to tank tops in summer.F1Kate
2. Living in the UK at the moment you don't really need to worry about seasons - it's been grey, wet and about 13 degrees for the last 12 months at least. I think seasons were scrapped. I've been wearing the same type of clothes (jeans and a t-shirt, coat when I'm outside) all year round. I seem to recall I had to wear a jumper for a week or so in January, but that's about it. I'm hoping there will be a couple of weeks around July where I might start leaving my coat at home but I'm not convinced that'll happen. Gareth
3. The changing of the seasons for me has brought a tan but more sadly something I thought to be a cold and then a week later realised was hay fever. I've been popping pills, spritzing nasal spray and dropping drops into my red raw eyes. I do seem however to be building up a nice tan. So if you don't suffer from allergies my advice is wear sunscreen! Squeamish Nicola
4. Factor 50. Cut all my tights off just above the knee. Big hat. You can never have too many pairs of sunglasses. Oh, and just rejoice in the fact that it's now socially acceptable for dinner to be a baguette, a chunk of brie and a bottle of white wine in the park with friends. It's a picnic, so that's ok then. In fact, that applies to all of summer - somehow sitting on the sofa in front of the TV all winter is bad, but if you sit in the park with a book for the same amount of time, well, you're getting fresh air and enjoying your surroundings. Squeamish Louise
5. I don't know about these seasonal transitions, to tell you the truth. In England there are only two seasons: cold and wet and grey for ten months of the year, and sporadically sunny but definitely a bit less grey for the other two months. So I don't really transition between seasons in any traditional sense. In Washington DC, where they have four clearly defined seasons, the mark between spring and summer was the switch from long-sleeved teeshirts (no cardies needed) in spring, to tank tops in summer.F1Kate
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