Rare things we do now that we have a lousy summer with rain

In the category of minor woes: that summer in the Netherlands could use a lesson in Spain again, because it’s not doing well at all. It was a nice spring, a decent month of July, but according to the weather gods, August was supposed to be phenomenal. Meanwhile, I’m working with windows and doors closed, and this week I even had candles lit. Heat makes you do remarkable things, but a lousy summer with rain is just as bad.

1. Sitting behind your desk in your warm, knitted (!) cardigan that can barely stand the daylight, because you’re freezing cold.

2. Trying to send your summer dresses back to the sender way too late, because what on earth do you need them for? Everything is still unworn with tags in the closet. And then insisting that the post must have had a lot of delays at customer service.

3. Eating pea soup and secretly already craving kale. I might have ordered hot chocolate with whipped cream once, because everything outside felt a bit wintry.

4. Getting worked up about how hot it was one year ago according to the film roll on your phone. And missing it too.

5. Stoking the heater. I did it. Really.

6. Running to the terrace when you see a sunbeam in the distance, only to drip wetly away when the awning doesn’t hold up well during a downpour.

7. Sleeping in pajamas. A long one with legs, preferably made of flannel.

8. Secretly enjoying a bit too, because the new season of Grace and Frankie is online and you can legally binge it now. Because it’s freezing cold, yes.

9. Simply forgetting to shave your legs, because why would you? No one sees it and it keeps you warm.

10. Stripping from nine layers of clothing to two, because as soon as it stops raining and blowing, it suddenly becomes way too hot for all those terribly hot fabrics.

11. You’ve replaced the bottle of sunscreen that always had to come along in the summer with a foldable umbrella and rain poncho. Something about setting priorities.

12. The candles even get lit here at home during the day, it’s that dark outside.

13. Showering to warm up instead of cool down. I can vaguely remember that it used to be the other way around.

14. Refreshing your weather app so often that the chance of rain suddenly increases even more, while you were actually hoping for a nice weather forecast.

15. Putting on a bikini under your big hooded sweater, so you still feel a bit of summer. You have to do something.

16. Going to the cinema, even though you’ve never done that in the summer in your entire life.

17. Reserving a table for indoors at a restaurant? Really? Yup, really.

Summer, come back!