Solstice Sulk

Solstice season is poppy season, when every unstrimmed bank is strewn with self-seeders in shades of red and pink. In the south of England we recently had a weekend thunderstorm, but otherwise the earth remains dry and cracked as the longest day looms. There’s plenty to enjoy in the abundance of midsummer; a cold glass of cider on a Friday afternoon, the scent of pineapple broom flowers in the garden. I left an air-conditioned supermarket yesterday and it felt like stepping off a plane in the Mediterranean - that blast of hot air that makes you race to the nearest gelateria.

Are you a summer person? If you’ve followed me for any length of time you’ll know I am certainly not. I’m done as soon as I feel the heat around the corner and it makes me feel like such a killjoy. Festivals, sunbathing, gross. I just get hot and angry when the mercury hits 22°C, which is why I am writing to you, dear reader, from the dimly lit confines of my living room, curtains drawn, fan buzzing, an irritable vampire still recovering from watering the garden an hour ago.

Since the warm weather hit, I’ve been trying to walk the dogs in shaded places. Just weeks ago our local woods were carpeted in bluebells, and while only the remnants are still standing, there is something about these withered old soldiers going to seed that are still beautiful; thin and wiry but still adorned in colour, soon to lie down and sleep until next spring. The poor dogs are sleeping a lot too, hiding in Olive’s room which is the coolest in the house. Ash was born in midwinter and doesn’t know what’s hit him. He spends most of the time naked on my lap, the desire to stay hydrated overriding the heat radiating from my own body. We are two fleshy January babies and we are hot, hot, hot.

I’ll make an iced coffee and stop complaining now. The truth is that I’ve had a lovely week, if slightly hectic! We visited the Titanosaur exhibition in London and my new book came out which has been so well received - thank you! I signed a few books in Waterstones, spoke to Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 (10 minutes into this link), and I know Amazon’s evil but this is an imperfect world and on Monday my book reached 454 in the book charts!? Amazing! If you fancy coming along to my official launch on 28 June in the Cowdray Walled Garden, just click here to grab a ticket.

I’ll leave you with this tiny ladybird Olive and I found on a dog walk. She loves anything that creeps and crawls. Enjoy the lead up to the solstice next week, and if you’re a summer lover, I truly wish you all the best you mad, sun-dried heathen.