An Edinburgh Summer

I'm finding it hard to believe that the end of August is near. I feel as though summer has passed me by, like I must have missed it somehow. It's not only because I've been studying and writing all summer, although that's certainly helped the months fly by. In fact, my First Year Review is upon me, and very soon I'll be a PhD-2. I can't really believe that I'll no longer be a first year.

I think that the main reason I'm feeling like summer has passed me by is the weather. With the exception of our days in London during a heat wave, this has not been summer weather. Not terribly surprising, I suppose, but its still a new experience to deal with. We've had a rediculous amount of daylight (although its noticeably disappearing), and lots of sunny days with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. The temperature just never gets up to a warm, comfortable temperature, and during the brief moments of direct sunlight you may feel the heat of the sun, but the warmth is gone the second a cloud passes by (which is pretty frequent). There's always a chill in the air, and usually a crisp cool breeze that necessitates bringing a jacket or sweatshirt whenever you go out.

There's also be a lot more real rain than we've had at any other time of the year. Unlike in the fall and winter when the rain was more of an annoying mist blowing around, we're now getting actual rain (or what we would call rain back home). There was even thunder and lightning a few nights in July! I'm happy I invested in a good Marks and Spencer's umbrella that's been tested in wind tunnels, and its clear (something I've always wanted) with silver stars so it makes me smile every time I use it.

So there have been no tank tops, no shorts (for me, anyway), no suntanning, no lying on the beach or swimming and no call for a bathing suit this summer. I don't think that's ever happened before. I have managed to get sunburnt once or twice -- its tough to remember sunscreen when its cold enough to require a sweatshirt in the morning. And I am rarely fooled anymore by a sunny morning, because dark rain clouds could be speeding towards Edinburgh, so a jacket and umbrella are musts. Occasionally I shrug off the sight of impending rain clouds, like I did last Friday at the MSc's Goodbye Dissertation, Hello Beer party in the Meadows on a beautiful sunny afternoon, but I got my comeuppance as the bunch of us got soaked running for cover in front of the grocery store up the path.

I don't think I'll be able to get used to the quickness with which the weather changes. Rainstorms blow in and out within an hour, quite handy if I'm trying to time my 15 minute walk home from the library, but rather annoying if caught midway home after a successful shopping trip while carrying canvas bags which do nothing to keep out the rain. It has made us appreciate the time the sun is shining, to the point where Derek and I will throw a couple books in a backpack and head out to the park on a sunny afternoon or a walk around the neighbourhood in the evening, or a coffee break with a friend at school will turn into a chat in George Square or the Meadows. We've learned to treasure sunshine and warmth, as its gone all too fast around here.

Although it sounds like Southern Ontario is getting quite the beating this summer, I will say that I do miss distinct seasons. However, I've been told by several friends that May is the most beautiful month here, which we missed this year due to a trip home, so I'll be looking forward to checking it out for myself next Spring. And I can't forget that with only about 5 days of snow last winter, mild, strikingly similar seasons do have their upside :)