I have never been very fond of summer. Call me un-Australian, but I would choose mild, overcast weather any day over hazy blue skies and heat that bakes you the moment you step into it. I was rather enjoying some of the cooler, cloudy days last week.
A friend (apparently) spoke to me a little rudely this afternoon (I did not notice). She apologised later, explaining it was because of the weather. “Don’t apologise!” I said. “This weather makes you crazy.”
Is it just me, or does anyone else also intrinsically link summer with cockroaches? I like bugs when they are outside. In summer however, they get pushy and want to invade your home. Or you have mosquitos who want to suck your blood and make you look like a neglectful parent due to the number of itchy-bites covering your young children.
We are experiencing our first summer in this house. I had known it would be bad (it is a fibro cottage with no trees around). Winter was painful enough, however improved upon once we splurged on the purchase of a gas heater. Plus, if you wear the correct amount of layers in the Sydney cold season, you can move about quite comfortably, and it is easy to get the kids into bed and asleep at a good time.
I feel a bit like a sun-fearing vampire; the blinds are kept drawn all day; I do not go to the clotheslines without shoes, a hat and sunglasses. If I know I will be in the sun for more than five minutes, an application of sunscreen is necessary. If I should neglect any of these things, you might hear a shriek like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz; “I’m melting!”
The days are too long. The sun is rising before 6am now, and it does not set until after 8pm. I wake up cheerful enough (mostly… it depends on how ‘kind’ the children have been to me upon their waking). By day’s end, I am DONE. Last night, I actually told my children, “I’m done. I have nothing left”. I could not stand to sing any more songs or speak gently any longer. Patience has run dry. By bedtime (or perhaps a little earlier), my feet are swollen and I feel huge, clammy and disgusting. I hate being a cranky mummy.
The children too seem to be affected. They are on edge, fighting about every little thing. Last night Miss L and Miss R both had trouble falling asleep. Miss L kept waking up for the next few hours to cry and thrash about.
Hot, muggy weather like this makes me very unproductive. My washing keeps piling up because I cannot be bothered to fold it (or worse, it does not even leave the line). Today I fell asleep on the lounge while Mr E watched a movie (Miss A and Miss R were at child care). When I woke up, I looked around at the lounge room floor scattered with toys, books, and miscellaneous items of clothing. I knew that if I were to tidy it, I would literally have to sit on the carpet and crawl about, picking it all up. “Does it actually matter if the lounge room is messy right now?” I asked myself. “Who am I trying to impress?” I moved a small fan into the kitchen and decided to do the washing up instead, because clean cups and plates are something my family actually NEEDS. While there, Mr E and Miss R wandered in and we all ate an apricot. Stone fruit. That is something I like about summer.
Summer does make you choose what is really important and it provides some good memories. My aunty gave the children an early Christmas present; two small plastic paddling pools. Yesterday Daddy Duck filled them up with water from the hose, added bubble bath, and voila; our ducks had their bath outside.
Today we picked up the girls from childcare and we all went to my parents’ house to have our first swim of the season in their pool. Thankfully Aunty L and Uncle A, my younger brother and sister, were home and they came swimming with us. What a blessing to have a 1:1 adult/child ratio. “This is something good about summer,” I commented to Aunty L as we bobbed around with the children. “It forces you to hang out with people.”
It was lovely to hear Miss R laughing as she clung to me in the water. Mr E was bolder than last summer in the pool. Miss A and Miss R were utterly fearless. Wearing a flotation device, Miss A was able to swim around unaccompanied at times. I told her I was proud of her. My mum made dinner for us all. It was nice to spend time with my parents. I definitely did not feel the normal urge to rush home and put the kids to bed. They were happy playing; and a stuffy hot house awaited us. As we drove back to our abode, I opened up all the car windows and enjoyed the cool change which had finally arrived, and was refreshed by dusky floral scent. The children played for half an hour in the front yard, despite it being past their bed time, because they so love the “pretty lights”. Mr E and Miss A get along best at this time of day, just enjoying running in the cool night air.
The best of summer is yet to come. The Christmas season has arrived in our home already with CDs about Jesus’ birth or snow being played in regular rotation. Little trinkets are finding their way onto the walls. Last Christmas we had two children. This year we will have five. How exciting to include these children in our old traditions, and to make new ones together. God willing, we will be able to go to our regular holiday spot in January and enjoy time as a family without all the usual pressures of work, excessive mess and appointments.
Apparently tomorrow will be cooler than today. I am thrilled! My apologies to any of you who love a hot day at the beach.
The Five Little Ducks Blog 