Summer’s lease

In the UK summer often seemed provisional, flitting, a season lived by its changeability more than it’s constancy.

The notion of summer's lease having all too short a date made great poignant sense. The days that could have shown the sun undimmed being rare and scudding clouds and freshening rain all too frequent. Balmy evenings by the sea at St Margaret’s Bay were far and few between.

Tony, the tyre salesman, often commented how driving back from his rounds across the sweltering South East he’d dream of al fresco suppers with his wife and epileptic golden retriever only to get back to find a brisk wind blowing and a sea chill in the air.

But here in south east Tuscany at 500m elevation the too hot eye of heaven shines too much, too long.

This is not just the strength of the sun shining through undifferentiated air but as much to do with air masses.

For hundreds of years the Azzorre Atlantic high has brought Tuscany limpid air and moderate if very sunny summers and traditionally given way to Atlantic depressions moving in from the north and north west.

But more recently this has changed and the much hotter and stronger high pressure system from the Sahara and African continent has come to dominate the Tuscan summer.

This brings high levels of humidity from the passage across the Mediterranean and seems to develop into a high pressures system that blocks the ingress of cooler less stable air from the north and west.

But today, finally, the back of this oppressive humid heat has been broken.

It’s a shame to grow to hate the sun even as it brings such bounty to the land (extra).

Summer’s lease has become an interminable ground rent, a implacable landlord demanding an often times insupportable tribute of sweat and broken sleep.

We will look into air conditioning, a more secure supply of irrigable water, solar panels, mosquito screens and a huge mobile horsefly trap akin to the great orange ball chasing The Prisoner across Portmeirion’s sand.

When summer becomes a thing to be borne, to hide from and to take in small doses it is not a thing at all but becomes an enemy.

I know. I’m waxing large. But there is something in it and it’s not just us who feel this. The claws of climate change grind hard even here and make one wonder what there is to come.