It ain’t over ‘till it’s over!

You do realise the nights are drawing in again don’t you? Yep, midsummer’s been and gone and it’s all downhill from here, so we might as well start writing our Christmas cards.

And how do I know this for certain? Because it’s Back to School time already. Yes, yes I know the schools haven’t actually broken up yet, but from July, one supermarket, which will remain nameless, is launching its back to school range. In JULY! That’s next week. The PR announcing the campaign was quite surprised to hear from my colleagues in the Candis office that we wouldn’t be mentioning that campaign in our July issue of the magazine. She thought that was just because the issue had already gone to press but, no seriously, it was because it was, you know, JULY – the season of sandy toes and sun-kissed shoulders.

I think the reason so many of us got so huffy about it was that most of us are still sitting around in last year’s winter coats waiting for this summer to start, so we really, really don’t want to be reminded about how fleeting it is with a premature announcement that it’s time to stock up on sensible children’s shoes and new duffel coats. To channel the lovely Patricia Hodge, playing Miranda’s mother, “We haven’t had more than one, ‘what-I-call-summer’s-day’ yet.”

After all, who among us has yet to utter those classic mock-reproachful yet reassuring words that signal the start of the summer better than the first sight of a swallow, “Ooh – you’ve caught the sun!” this year? Anyone? I thought not.

Still, things can only get better. Yesterday was the first day of Wimbledon… then again, perhaps I should get my coat… and umbrella. Sigh.

Posted by Amanda Blinkhorn