Summer, what summer. There hasn’t been one
The rain, the wind, the chill and the cloud
When will it ever end
All summer long we wait, more in hope now than expectation
Scottish kids go back to school, no sun; robbed of their regular summer glow
And yet… and yet…..these last few days…
The grandkids are here – let’s go to the river they cry
We want to eat crisps there, skim stones, fish and make a fire
That first day still cloudy but miracle of miracles, no rain.
Day two we made an even better fire; stone surround and pyramid base, lots of dry driftwood we found to burn
Marshmallows roasted….much to Chuck’s delight!
Day three dawns calm, warm and clear
No wind, no rain and that unrecognisable globe in the sky
Their mum & brother off to Peebles to canoe down the Tweed
Shall we go and see them come in at the toll wood?
“Lets roast marshmallows like Chuck did yesterday”, cries Lou
Armed with wood, matches, fishing net and bucket, sausages, ketchup and buns (we forgot the plates!)
We find our beach spot opposite the Quair
Chuck wades in, catching tiddlers and an ‘even bigger fish’
“Come in Lou” he shouts and she squeals with delight and sheds her shoes and socks to follow, then acts as watch and guide
Papa in charge of the the fire…touch and go he thinks; will the fire cook the sausages – but it does, and they are ‘delicious’
The river is calm and still – like maple syrup says Chuck
Suddenly it feels like the perfect summers day,
Those ‘lazy hazy days of summer’ when its balmy warm Dappled light dances on the river; no wind,
Sunny enough to need a hat and warm enough for shorts.
The smell of woodsmoke on our clothes
Ducks flying in rows, the last of the sand-martins playfully dart
Peace and harmony prevails, Chuck and Lou are friends
They are lost in the excitement of finding fish, and river glass.
Tummies filled with sausage, bun and ketchup ( and don’t forget the marshmallows says Lou!)
And then the shouts rises up – they are coming!
Round the bend comes the canoes and we rush to greet them, to get to the bank before they do, shrieks of joy and delight seeing Joe and their mum paddling down the Tweed!
And the peace we (and their mum) had for the past three hours
Shattered in an instant…as they start pecking at their mum for attention and the squabbling starts up
Time for holidays to end and school to start says Mum!
But summer did come at last; a glorious interlude of sun and fun
As now, today….they are gone and summer too has flown, just like the swifts and swallows and we are back to our grey and drizzly Tupperware sky
But the Tweed flows on.
