An ode to longer days & better weather…
I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for Summer in Scotland. The lack of solid travel plans, along with more free time and finally owning a car again for the first time in forever, means we’ve been able to soak up some local spots and also see a little more of this beautiful place we call home.
After well over a year confined to Glasgow, we’ve totally accepted this new way of life – embraced it, even. It’s like looking at where we live with fresh eyes! We’ve been having picnics every day when the weather is nice, sacking off work to sit in a beer garden on a random Tuesday afternoon, packing up the car with our swimming stuff and heading for the shores of Loch Lomond, reading for hours in the sun, and enjoying many spontaneous dinners with friends or lazy afternoons in the park.
Our summers are usually so busy with travel and other plans that we barely have time to enjoy our local haunts, so these past few months have felt so precious. Sorry we slept on you for so long, Scottish summers!
So this is a love letter to longer days, lighter nights, warmer temps, swimming in the sea, lounging around in the sun, afternoons turned in to evenings, and picnics, pints & park hangs!
01. Day trips out of the city.
I read that the city of Glasgow has had the toughest lockdown out of the entire UK, and for the most part we haven’t been able to leave our neighbourhoods at all. We got a car during lockdown (during that brief window you could go places), and, bar trips to the supermarket and the odd short drive to local parks, it feels like it’s barely been put to use!
As soon as we were able, we made sure to get out of the city – a trip to Glencoe in May, a little venture to beautiful Luss earlier in the year, and a few drives to Balmaha too (forever one of my favourite places!).
I forget that Loch Lomond is so close, and such an easy drive too. On hotter days, we left around 2 or 3pm and spent most of the afternoon and evening swimming or walking along the banks of the loch. The long nights are what I adore about summer – although the swarms of midges are a bit of a bother!
02. Afternoon beers in the sun.
Without such a full diary (for the most part!), we’ve been able to finish up our day early and head to a beer garden every now and again. I think this is something we can all relate to, having more time to be a bit more selfish – we’ve all realised what a relaxed and fulfilling life we could have if we spent less time commuting, at events or in meetings!
Any self-employed person will be all too familiar with the guilt that comes with taking time off, but I feel like the pandemic has sort of blurred the edges of that a little. I’ve set some boundaries, made myself a little more unreachable and taken time off when I feel like I can.
Jordie and I usually have a gin and tonic or a cold beer at our kitchen table after we’ve finished work and before we start dinner, it’s just the perfect way to decompress after a busy day. A simple thing to do but something we always look forward to!
03. Impromptu picnics with friends.
While this may be a love letter to summer, sometimes Scotland just does not get the memo re sunshine! Which is why when the sun is out, you just have to take that opportunity. Set your out of office on, ignore your responsibilities, round up your friends and grab the picnic supplies. It’s basically what we’ve been doing all summer – always making sure we’re prepared for an impromptu gathering in the sun when it finally makes an appearance!
04. Swimming in Scottish waters.
I am a total water baby, I’ve always been happiest whilst swimming but we’ve never really had the weather for it here in Scotland. A brief but beautiful heatwave recently changed all that, we even went swimming twice in the same week. Heaven, I tell you!
We got out of the city, drove to the nearest vessel of water and waddled out in the crisp, refreshing waves. I can’t tell you how good it felt (once we were over the initial shock!), it genuinely felt like being on holiday! Give or take ten degrees.
05. Reading whenever I can.
Summer and reading just go hand in hand, don’t they? Although I guess you could also say that about winter now I think about it…
Anyway, there is just something magic about lying in the sun with a book in your hand. Pure escapism, a way of relaxing and switching off from the stress of the world around you. I’ve been flying through my TBR pile lately and I’m feeling pretty smug about it. Here’s hoping we have another heatwave so I can soak up those rays with my reading stack by my side!
You can tell I’m *technically* a summer baby, can’t you?! My love for summer definitely deserves it’s own blog post! Are you enjoying having more time at home right now or are you ready for restrictions to ease?
