Last night was Midsummer here in Denmark, luckily the rain held off so we will get hazelnuts in the autumn but nevertheless  we seem to be having the worst summer in my memory here in Copenhagen (and it seems the rest of Europe). Last year’s summer was exceptionally hot (sunset below is an example of a perfect summer evening) so perhaps we had two summers rolled into one and we are paying for it now.

I have heard people saying, optimistically, that the summer will come in July or maybe August and that the seasons are skewed and starting later. A friend in Australia tells me that winter there also seems to be delayed but that is a lot less depressing than summer being late.The summer sales have started as usual this week in Denmark and I have to say that  I love the sales here as they are genuine sales. You actually see things you have wanted before at reduced price (these Adidas trainers at 40% off made me especially happy on Monday) but I was less happy to see clothes I bought my son reduced before he has even had the chance to wear them. I was looking at the Vero Moda and Vila sales pages online on Sunday as the sale kicked off and the trench coats and other ‘spring’ items were selling out as I browsed and shorts and sundresses remained very much in stock. Perhaps we can buy for the next summer, whenever that may be?I often scoff at the newspaper headlines of how things like the weather impact the economy but in a small city with many businesses both big and small operating, it isn’t difficult the see how this, quite frankly, crappy summer is having an impact. Cafes are usually packed with people enjoying the long warm evenings, Tivoli is busy with families enjoying the sun and spending more money than they planned on rides and treats but this year there is a definite quietness about the city.

So come on, summer, after last night the hours of daylight will start diminishing again and we need our sunshine and warmth to help survive the darkness of winter – it’s only fair!