HURRAH! It's sunny. Well, it is here anyway. I am sitting outside with my bra and dress straps off my shoulders aiming to get a British Tan - you know-arms, possibly shoulders, bright red face and if I'm lucky a hint of brown from the knees down. You can spot a fake tan in the UK a mile off - unless you are at the airport, if the tanned person has a lovely even brown colour - Hmm probably a number 5 spray job.
I noticed this morning that the playground was brighter than normal - almost everyone was showing off pretty dresses, funky shorts, gorgeous sandals and painted toenails.
There were lots of comments about how lovely everyone looked and we all said we were just glad of the opportunity to wear the clothes we had bought for holidays abroad and rarely get to wear in the UK.
Yesterday I changed mid-day and today put on yet another fresh outfit. Not because any of them were dirty but I just am desperate to wear all my lovely summer clothes.
My youngest daughter does this all year round of course - she makes everyday into a Miss World competition. Look! - swimwear, look again, evening wear, look again, that nice dress you bought last year which she refused to wear ever but is now insisting on dragging on even though it is blatantly too small.
During one paddling pool session at the weekend she wore three different swimming costumes. I didn't know she even had three swimming costumes!
Meanwhile my eldest daughter came outside yesterday ( where the temp was at least 29 degrees Celcius) in fleece pyjama bottoms and a fleecy hooded top. She's gone to school today for non-uniform day long wearing black trousers. Thankfully she did team that with a T-shirt and did remember deodorant!
My DH works outside part of the week and he gets a great tan - I call it his legwarmer tan. He has to wear safety boots and socks and obviously shorts (alternative =naked scaffolder- Ooh!) so he gets brown from ankles to thighs with white feet and bum!
I have finally pursuaded him after 21 years of marriage to wear flip-flops on sunny days when he is not at work so for the first year ever after a trip to Cyprus and some nice sunshiny weekends he finally has a more normal tan.
Obviously I need to insert a grave warning here about the essential need for sun protection. When I was young when the sun came out you slathered on baby oil or if you were posh, that coconutty smelling oily stuff with zero sun protection.
Nowadays no parent would be seen dead without the obligatory factor 50 reapplied onto protesting child often and hat and whenever practical those fabulous UV suits. Will someone make a cool- T-shirt version for pre and early-teens please?
Before school it's great not to have to worry about grabbing coats or checking if there's yoghurt down the jumpers but instead you have to find hats, sun cream. Then get them to take their tops off to apply suncream. I've tried cheating and just rubbing it in while they are still wearing school dresses or polo shirts but that just means greasy collars which stain and a fairly patchy coverage. Don't forget to leave at least some white smears on their unhappy faces so everyone can see you have been a good mother and sun-creamed them!
Finally you walk to school, with them shivering and moaning because it's not as warm as it looked but the sun is out, it's July, we are British and therefore we will act as if it's summer!
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| Grumpy in the sun |
There were lots of comments about how lovely everyone looked and we all said we were just glad of the opportunity to wear the clothes we had bought for holidays abroad and rarely get to wear in the UK.
Yesterday I changed mid-day and today put on yet another fresh outfit. Not because any of them were dirty but I just am desperate to wear all my lovely summer clothes.
My youngest daughter does this all year round of course - she makes everyday into a Miss World competition. Look! - swimwear, look again, evening wear, look again, that nice dress you bought last year which she refused to wear ever but is now insisting on dragging on even though it is blatantly too small.
During one paddling pool session at the weekend she wore three different swimming costumes. I didn't know she even had three swimming costumes!
Meanwhile my eldest daughter came outside yesterday ( where the temp was at least 29 degrees Celcius) in fleece pyjama bottoms and a fleecy hooded top. She's gone to school today for non-uniform day long wearing black trousers. Thankfully she did team that with a T-shirt and did remember deodorant!
My DH works outside part of the week and he gets a great tan - I call it his legwarmer tan. He has to wear safety boots and socks and obviously shorts (alternative =naked scaffolder- Ooh!) so he gets brown from ankles to thighs with white feet and bum!
 |
| what shall I wear today? Note discarded outfits! |
Obviously I need to insert a grave warning here about the essential need for sun protection. When I was young when the sun came out you slathered on baby oil or if you were posh, that coconutty smelling oily stuff with zero sun protection.
Nowadays no parent would be seen dead without the obligatory factor 50 reapplied onto protesting child often and hat and whenever practical those fabulous UV suits. Will someone make a cool- T-shirt version for pre and early-teens please?
Before school it's great not to have to worry about grabbing coats or checking if there's yoghurt down the jumpers but instead you have to find hats, sun cream. Then get them to take their tops off to apply suncream. I've tried cheating and just rubbing it in while they are still wearing school dresses or polo shirts but that just means greasy collars which stain and a fairly patchy coverage. Don't forget to leave at least some white smears on their unhappy faces so everyone can see you have been a good mother and sun-creamed them!
Finally you walk to school, with them shivering and moaning because it's not as warm as it looked but the sun is out, it's July, we are British and therefore we will act as if it's summer!