The wait is over and we can all let out that breath we’ve been holding over the last several months. Summer is indeed upon us again. Sunshine, flowers, grass, blue skies, and all that good stuff.

I believe the true pleasure of summer lies in the anticipation of it. I have to admit I impatiently wait for the trees to blossom and the temperatures to rise. Somewhere around April, I am inspecting the tree branches for impending buds. Usually I am disappointed until May but I spend the meantime daydreaming about the forthcoming season and all the wonders it will bring.

I imagine the long, lazy days. They are full of the flora of my youth with scents that bring me back to endless days of mystery and adventure. The quality of light created in this time of year is akin to the lands of my early forgotten dreams. The nights with their cool breezes and secret smells call to me. Those long, lazy days beckon me.

I end up spending most of them the same way I spend my days in all other seasons. I work through my days, run errands, do chores, and try to find an hour here or there for my own enjoyment. How does this season keep falling away from me year after year? Slippery little sucker summer is.

It seems like as soon as the snow is gone, the leaves are changing colours with barely a breath in between. The summer flies by me and I rarely have a moment to drink in its blossoms. I wait and wait and then it’s gone. As long as the season’s days are, they whiz past as if we were in the depths of winter. Turn around and say goodbye again.

There really is no point in complaining. The more time for complaints is less time spent out in our longed for days. I mean, I’ll still carve out time to grumble but it’s a full schedule in summer and I have to balance my priorities. I can only gripe so much before the day is through and during this time of the year I need to spend some time out of doors. Of course, I can wonder outside whilst I whine – I am an excellent multitasker. I am less inclined to bellyache during the season as I am too busy talking to ladybugs. Those brightly coloured insects are wonderful distractions from your worries.

Then the ladybugs go away, the birds fly off, and the sun sleeps more and more. We can dream again of days that stretch into the horizon and nights of warm intrigue while we plow our way through the snow intent on returning home before the sun sets. Summer is always there waiting for us to come around again.

Keri lives and enjoys summer in Boyle Street.