Falming June indeed

'Summer' in the North of England will arrive on the day I fly to Spain and it will end on the day I arrive back, and then my neighbours will all rush out to tell me we had a heatwave here last week

..Happens every time

Yesterday I had the heating on from lunch to bedtime. At least today it is not so cold. It has not rained yet but it is so dull and miserable it will happen anytime soon.

It rained so hard in sunny Hertfordshire last week that our garage flooded.
With thanks to Hertfordshire Highways who have budget cuts so can't clean the drains (that are blocked with gravel) thus allowing a river of water to sweep down the hill and into our drive.
Just bought sandbags after living here 16 years!

Not so warm in Northumberland, and quite breezy to boot. No sunshine today, it's overcast. DH came home from Glasgow yesterday and couldn't believe the difference! Every year I hope for another long hot summer, and every year I'm disappointed. ?

OH just put the heating on he's freezing but it will go off when he goes out bowling later with his thermals under his bowling clothes I must be made of sterner stuff as I'm not feeling it today. Its still miserable with showers though no sun for a couple of days..

That's a relief, I thought it was just me. I've never had the heating on in June before.

I've just lit the woodburner

The dogs are curled up on the hearthrug and I'm hugging a mug of hot chocolate.

Where's summer?

Going back to the summer of 1976, how well we remember it. It was our first holiday without the children - they had reached the age where they no longer wanted to join us, and other arrangements were made for them. We hitched our caravan and just drove as we wanted, the weather was perfect, the grass was scorched to sand colour and the evenings a dream, and although we stopped at various sites we both remember with pleasure the one we stayed at in the middle of an apple orchard, the only caravan there, and the chickens would come pecking at the door in the early hours.Simple pleasures to dream about on a chilly June day.

I remember that Summer of 76 I was pregnant with my son and after 6 wks of heatwave weather when I literally sat in the shower to cool down my son was born July 13th and I stood at the hospital ward window holding him in the early hours watching the lightening and we had an almighty thunderstorm.

The last two posts are really evocative, if that's the right word. I could just visualize it all....lovely!!!

We've put the wood/coal burner on too; very comforting! Must be getting old to feel contented by that! ?

Oh we think we are hard done by! Just been walking the dog, and this wind has blown countless chicks out of their nest. All the little dead bodies strewn around

How dreadful. So sorry Still jolly cold - and the forecast is for more of the same for the next ?? days.
The solstice is 20th June, the neverendum referendum 0n 23rd. Oh wow!

Tanith, your son was born on our 13th wedding anniversary. I also can remember the summer of 1976. We had a holiday to S.Devon booked for September, sweltered all through that long, hot summer, hubby and I both at work in hot factories, then went down to Bigbury-on-sea, had 4 beautiful days, then on the 5th day, there we were, watching the kids playing in rock pools at Hope Cove, then the dark clouds rolled in, the heavens opened, and everyone made a mad dash for shelter, of which there wasn`t a lot! That was the last of the good weather for the rest of our holiday.

numberplease He's going to be 40 this year so I guess that means you are at your 53rd Anniversary this year congratulations for that date. Shame your holiday weather didn't last.

Going back to the summer of 1976, how well we remember it
I remember it too - I was in the very late stages of pregnancy (DS is 40 soon). Our garden was hot, too hot to put a new baby outside in a pram, so he spent part of each day in the cooler front room which faced north.
We were threatened with standpipes and I bought a galvanized bucket so that, if the water was turned off and we had to use the standpipes, I could boil the nappies on the stove. Thank goodness it didn't come to that.
It didn't rain until September and DD (aged 2) was astonished when large raindrops plopped down!

Still horrible here- raining again and cold- and it doesn't look as though its going to improve soon... got lots of visitors arriving from California next week and the week after, grrrr.

With luck the wind should begin to die down tomorrow. I can then begin to sort out the damage, although not doing rose etc until we come back from Dorset in 10 days time. But it has been a very damaging wind both for plants and wildlife.

Flaming June here in N.Ireland! Cloudless blue skies, warm sun ....all this week. Perfect. Don't for a minute imagine it will last throughout the summer though.

Off to walk the dog now and enjoy not having her return covered in mud. Mind you, yesterday she managed to find a swamp and emerged black with vile smelly gunk. Had to throw her into the nearby lake to remove some of it . Not cruel, she loves swimming second only to wallowing in swamps!

Absolutely gorgeous all week in Cheshire, housework gone to pot, out in the garden as much as possible and a bbq each evening - bliss!

At least you haven't got the floods like France and Germany, granjura.
Hope all those GNs living in France and Germany are safe - and their families, as well.

I am on holiday in the West Coat of Scotland and it has been wall to wall sunshine this week, T shirts and shorts weather. Only problem is, I packed a suitcase full of waterproofs,boots, thick jeans and jumpers, which is normal for a holiday in Scotland. I had to buy a couple of t shirts, summer trousers and sun cream. I'm not complaining though.

Flaming June in Lancashire, beautiful for half term thank goodness as had a week of grandparent duty. Spent yesterday in Cumbria fell walking with DGD, a day of sunshine and bliss.

Heating on this morning! this must be a first for us, in June.

It would be lovely to have some blue skies, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze - the perfect summer. However, I cannot agree with Juliette about the 'wonderful' summer of '76 - as far as I was concerned it was a complete hell of burning heat, water restrictions, sleepless nights with sweat soaked pillows, fretful children, filthy streets (no rain to clean anything) and a pregnant friend who cried every day because she was so uncomfortable. Misery! I have a photo of self and DD ( aged 2) in usually beautiful Victoria Park in London and the grass was brown and crinkly as far as the eye could see. Another summer of '76 would without doubt finish me off completely!