Do you find the sun a tyrant?
In Britain, there is so little sunshine usually it's a wonder we are not all walking around with rickets. It's hardly a surprise that when the sun does make a rare appearance, it seems a sin to waste the day indoors.
Which is fine if it is sunny for a couple of days, then grey for a day, then sunny again for a bit, then grey etc. But when the sun lasts weeks - what is a housewife to do?
I see that England is enjoying a heatwave. It's pretty damn hot here in Canada as well.
My natural instinct as a Brit. is to fling myself and the tots outside and soak up every precious ray of Canadian sunshine now we are living over here. But that means that my house will look like a hole within a week and instead of rickets we will get scurvy from lack of supermarketing.
I can't resist the calling of my inner nag telling me 'not to waste the day, God knows when it will be sunny again' and yet I feel guilty being inside writing this on such a glorious day.
It's not as though I love slinging on my bikini and getting a tan. In fact, I loathe tanning. I just love to be outdoors, in the shade, or pootling around on a beach or paddling pool on a day like today. With a great big floppy hat and Factor 60 sunscreen.
I think I like rain. It allow me to potter about the house, guilt free. I don't think I could live in Florida, or Perth where it was sunny all the time. I know after a while the sun worshipping novelty would wear off, but I don't think the perpetual guilt about 'wasting the day' would.
Canada seems perfect, with it's imperfect weather.
Spend today: $11 on coffee and chocolate milk at a cafe. We ended up staying out later this morning than I thought and the snack disappeared far too quickly.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Yes we are in similar situations!
ReplyDeleteLast year when we arrived in the US I felt we had to make the most of sunny days, as we do in Britain. Then I learned that it was just too damn hot in August and, unless you were swimming, you were better off in an air conditioned shop or museum. This year I always try to make sure the boys are inside for a couple of hours during the hottest part of the day - otherwise everyone is just too exhausted.
I know what you mean, I always used to panic when the sun came out, thinking of all the lovely things I could do outside and worrying about wasting it, I've been in Cyprus 7 months and it still hasn't quite sunk in that it will be sunny tomorrow and the day after....
ReplyDeleteYou're right it's been fantastic here in England at the moment. And even when it's been really too hot I have told myself not to complain because you never know when the British summer will come to an abrupt end!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the guilt! We can't win, can we! Go outside, feel guilty about the housework, stay in and feel guilty for wasting the day!
ReplyDeleteI have that warning in my head too. I am from Ireland and we get more rain than the UK (I am sure we must?). We have this heatwave too at the moment and it is actually too hot somedays to have the children out, especially in the middle of the day. Therefore I am relatively guilt free :D We had a nice grey day today and got out lots (ish). Jen
ReplyDeleteGlad I am not the only one with 'sun-based' guilt!
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