What’s With This Weather?!

You know you’re in the midst of middle age when you realise you start every conversation with something about the weather!

In my defence, it has to be said, we are in the thick of August and our perilous weather conditions are actually worse than they were in October! I remember feeling sun on my face in the half term of Halloween which is more than I can say about this summer holiday so far. And yes, I may sound grumbly, but hear me out.

I’m going camping next week.

Enough said!

I’d planned our extensive camping trip with the whole family a few months ago thinking “Well, even if it’s not wall to wall sunshine it’s not going to be COLD, it will be August” and we booked a glorious little camp site in Polzeath, Cornwall well ahead of time knowing it would likely get fully booked if we didn’t act soon. 4 children, a tent and ok weather would be fine right?!

The theory was all sound, the reality is it was 12 degrees in Norfolk yesterday and the heavens were open in some sort of apocalyptic style storm with weather warnings across the whole of the UK! They were RED in Cornwall no less predicting high winds to marry with the rain, grey and cold. Oh isn’t that just wonderful! 4 children in a tent in rubbish weather, will it still be fine?!

I have moaned and moaned about it because frankly it’s just not fair is it! And yes, I appreciate there are worse things in the world, we are very lucky to be having a holiday at all in this cost of living crisis, but hear me out: I’m just going to moan so get over it!

The cost of living crisis had forced my hand somewhat when it came to taking the family away this summer. I wanted to prioritise doing so, I think it’s so important that families have that time together. It’s good for the sole and if we can cut back in other ways, eat cheaply for a couple of months in order to make a summer holiday work, then we will because life is for living and enjoying – we deserve some fun, all of us do! We couldn’t stretch to anywhere abroad (not having a spare 10k – SERIOUSLY, 10K for not even a great looking hotel in the Med!) but we did manage to make a couple of UK breaks work. The first being this camping trip. I always feel so inspired by my friend Sabina from Mummy Matters who ups and offs whatever the weather with her, like mine, larger than average family and they literally spend weeks in a tent every summer. She makes it look so easy, and effortless (even in the rain I might add – I’m taking note) that I thought yep, we can do that too!

And we can. Oh and we will, for I have forked out a fortune on a tow bar and a trailer to get all our stuff there. Saved up money earned on Vinted to buy us ice creams and fish and chips and looked forward to it muchly, as have the children. We WILL enjoy it (whatever the weather) and if we are soggy we WILL make the best of that too. Please don’t get me wrong here, I am a “make the best of it” kind of gal. However, I reserve the right to be middle aged and moaning right in this instance before we go, because it’s August.

It’s summer.

And we deserve a LITTLE bit of sunshine on our faces don’t you think?!

It’s bad enough feeling the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter, without having to succumb in summer time too!

We need sunshine, we need dry days, we need some sort of petition to the weather Gods – I mean forgive me if I’m wrong and it was JUST a film, and not based on reality at all, but I’m pretty sure there was a man who sued God once and sued him successfully – who’s on board with signing?!

I jest but grumble all the same…

As it goes the weather is looking a little brighter for next week when we will be on our Cornish hollibob and thank goodness for that. I’ve lowered my expectations so much with the grey, mizzle and cold which seems to have been interminable since my wet, wash out birthday on JULY THE 9th (we spent a cold, damp day on Southwold beach then), that the forecast of 17/18 degrees is actually pleasing me as long as that little sunshine stays the only thing poking out from behind the cloud in the thumbnails for each day!

Oh Britain… Only you could stick two fingers up to the rest of Europe when they’re in a heat wave and go “Actually, no, we don’t think we’re going to participate in that… We’re going to do our own thing!” – It’s like Brexit taught Blighty NOTHING!