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July 17, 2006
Summertime!
And this year, I am happy to say, we have "real" summer in Rotterdam
People say that the British are obsessed with the weather and talk about it all of the time. Even the British say this. And it's true - it's our national pastime (also handy for those awkward social moments when one cannot think of anything else to chitchat about). So, I thought to myself, Why disappoint gazillions of LC readers?
No, not really, LOL. See earlier comment regarding awkward social moments...
So here are a few random comments about summertime.
When I say that we have "real" weather in Rotterdam, I mean that it is hot. By Wednesday we are expecting 100 degrees. And I know this because Oh Patient One and I usually begin our day by checking the five-day forecast, and then we usually chat about it over breakfast.
It is unusually hot weather for this part of Europe. Years of memories of living in England, and summer equalled lots of rain with bits of sun. Last year in Rotterdam equalled lots of rain with bits of sun, and I do not remember wearing less than three layers of clothing at any one time, apart from a week we spent in the Ardennes. So imagine our excitement this morning. We must have spent at least an hour oohing and aahing about it!
Summertime here means that all of the bars, cafes and restaurants suddenly spring into full bloom on the sidewalks, and give the city an air of cosmopolitan camaraderie. I love that.
One thing I miss about summertime in America: air conditioning. The European answer to air conditioning: doors and windows. Of course, we dare not open our windows. But luckily, when I open my front and back balcony doors, and wedge open every single door in between, it produces a cooling wind-tunnel effect. Unfortunately, the open doors also encourage five million insects to commit suicide against my lightbulbs on a nightly basis (we don't have screen doors over here, either).
Summertime also means high factor sun screen, because apart from the fact that I have pale, freckled skin, I do not want to resemble a prune any time soon. Instead, I cheat and use washoffable leg makeup so that the lily-whiteness of my legs doesn't temporarily blind the entire population. I would use fake tan, but I always seem to end up with orange feet and splotchy legs whichever brand I use. Which leads me to a question, and a possibly fortune-making idea (and any would-be fake tan makers, I give you this idea for free). Why can't fake tans be tinted to the exact color of the fake tan? Then when you apply it, you can see what you are going to get in advance (in my case, orange feet). I mean, doesn't that make sense?
So, what do you love or hate about summertime?
Michelle, off to patronize one of those sidewalk cafes...
Posted by Michelle at 8:41 AM | Comments (10)
Comments
I hate the heat (and I live in Florida).
Oddly enough, it's been less hot here than normal . . . in fact, it seems like it's hotter just about everywhere else. I keep reading about the heat waves across the country, and meanwhile, we've been hovering around 90 degrees. Which is practically arctic for Florida in July.
Of course, we do have air conditioning here, so the summer just means that we don't go out in the heat of the day, and spend the rest of the time inside, chilled to a very civilized 75 degrees.
Posted by: Whitney ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 17, 2006 10:31 AM
I hate the mosquitos - I hate them all and I have no mercy for the ones that I smash upon first sight! No matter how much OFF or bug spray I use to ward them off, the greedy little blood suckers always find me! God love the winter when they all freeze!
Posted by: carrie at July 17, 2006 1:45 PM
Tan-in-a-can has improved soooooo much since I was a teenager. This is the first year that I have not had neon white legs, I can actually wear some white cropped pants and people can see that there is a difference in the color between my pants and my legs! I used Jergen's Natural Glow. Yes, the color is still a little yellower than a real tan, but it doesn't advertise that I applied my tan from a tube:
http://www.jergens.com/Products/index.asp?action=viewProduct&id=15
Of course, is it available in Rotterdam?
Posted by: hollygee at July 17, 2006 2:41 PM
It is winter here but I don't envy your summer. Our last summer was long and hot and windy and instead of having a few days of 40 deg.C we had weeks on end of them. My favourite season, Autumn, lasted 2 days, sigh.
As for the instant tan; be a rebel and snow blind the innocent by going untanned.
Posted by: Wendy at July 18, 2006 12:11 AM
Whitney - it's already hot and sticky and completely windless this morning and I am longing for 75 degrees and an air cond unit (strongly suspect that a trip to the electronics store is in order)!
Carrie - oh, yes, we have those horrible blood suckers here, too - there's a lot of water in the Netherlands. And the nasty things particularly love poor Teenager #1's blood, despite heavy application of repulsive-smelling repellant (there's another free idea - how about a range of repellants that smell like everyone's favorite perfume?).
hollygee - thanks for the hot tip! We do get Jergens products here and I'll definitely have a look for it while I am in town checking out the air con units :-)
LOL, Wendy, I am a rebel in spirit, but you just haven't seen my legs! They really are, well, luminously white (small children have been known to run away shrieking in horror).
Posted by: Michelle C at July 18, 2006 1:30 AM
I need to know where to get that leg makeup! Every year I buy some kind of self-tanner, and every year, I'm disappointed in the results. I'm also very fair-skinned, and the fake tanners look weird on me. So I walk around with legs the color of a dead fish's underbelly... so sexy!
Posted by: Rebecca at July 18, 2006 8:09 AM
We're ridin' the heat wave here in Northern Cal right now. Triple digits all this week. Even I'm running my air conditioner. I'm trying to convince myself to ride my bike downtown when I go to get my hair cut. It's a tough sell though.
Eileen
Posted by: Eileen at July 18, 2006 11:41 AM
LOL, Rebecca! The products I use are from a British company called Boots (similar to Rite Aid or CVS):
1. Boots No7 Instant Sunshine Smooth-On Bronzer (a spray).
2. Boots No7 Instant Sunshine Stocking Cream
I prefer the stocking creme, but the spray is good, too.
I ususally get a visitor to bring me some, but I believe you can order online - here's the URL
http://www.boots.com/brandtreatment/flexible_brand_treatment.jsp?classificationid=1031596&wblinktype=SITD
Eileen - hugs on the heat! Latest update over here - tomorrow, apparently, we're getting 103 degrees!
Posted by: Michelle C at July 18, 2006 11:55 AM
Eileen, you are crazy if you ride your bike anywhere in this god-awful heat! It was 104* yesterday but the humidity was up and it felt closer to 110*!! Today it is ONLY going to be 101*--woo. Did it rain any by you last night/early this AM? Let the dogs out around 11 or so last night and they came back in damp! Weird weather for CA...
Posted by: Sheri at July 19, 2006 12:22 PM
Sheri,
I'm a big weenie and I ended up driving thus contributing to the bad air quality and nearly crushing me with guilt. I swear, I'm riding my bike to the farmer's market tonight.
Eileen
P.S. It did rain. My fingers are crossed it stayed clear on the coast so Thing Two didn't get wet.
Posted by: Eileen at July 19, 2006 4:42 PM
