Why saying goodbye to the summer is always so bittersweet + a recap of the season

I have always been a fond lover of the summer for as long as I can remember which I guess comes from being born a summer baby, that and having warm memories of it over the years.  

Whether it was trips to the beach when I was younger, having 6-week

 stretches of escapism from school or university, falling head over heels for Empire of the Sun in the summer 2009 or simply the freedom that the season allows that's always excited me (and still does).

 I always feel like a part of me became cemented in the season. 

Which is why it always feels bittersweet to say goodbye to.

I found a song recently by an artist called David Moon titled 'Feel' that sums up the season almost weirdly in a way that feels almost like I've been taken and placed into a song. Even down to the entire sound of it but the lyrics resonated the most with me:

"Summer nights to ease my mind and everything is so perfect, wait is worth it can't believe it's been so long." and "I feel better in the summer, better in the summertime"

They describe everything the season makes me feel and think.

Without sounding like a cliche Pinterest quote, the light nights, the warm sunshine on my skin, the sound of the birds in the early dawn and the feel of the sand under my feet are all things that make the summer for me. (Not to say every summer season is like that mind, let’s be honest I’m from the UK so honestly it’s pretty rare we get a good summer.) But I have always felt this attachment that I sort of explains the feeling of always wanting to take a shell or stone home with me from the beach on holiday. The feel of wanting to take a little bit of the summer with me everywhere I go because it's what makes me feel whole.

I don't think I've ever really spoken about my love for the season on my blog before. 

And I guess that's because for a while I got caught up in the blogger stereotype (not that I'm saying we're all the same, oh no) but for a long time I felt this expectation to fit in and pretend my favourite season is in fact autumn. When actually it's a season that initially puts the fear in me.

Towards the end of the summer when talk turns to Halloween, cosy nights, knitwear and pumpkin spice lattes (though I am always partial to one) Summer almost begins to feel like a dirty word. 

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the colder months once I have reluctantly stepped into them. I am quite the sucker for Christmas and Halloween especially but admittedly it takes me a while to let go of summer, the nights getting darker and the feeling of something coming to an end is a transition I always find difficult, this year even more so.

This summer has been one of my favourites amongst the few other summers I've enjoyed like the summer I mentioned when discovering Empire of the Sun, it was the year I went on holiday and saw the beach at night for the first time and the year my sister married. As well as the first summer I and Jay spent together along with the first time we went on holiday together.

This summer is another I shall cherish for the memories and the mindset. Not to mention the incredible heatwave we were blessed with for a good few weeks and England entering the semi-final of the world cup- which I think is fair to say none of us seen coming.
This season hasn't treated us too badly at all. 

So I thought within this post I'd do a sort of recap of the season to tell you a bit about what I've been up to before drawing a curtain on this season and getting stuck into autumn *sob*

June

Croatia 

This year we decided to make a decision on either a holiday or a festival being that both wasn't doable. But seeing the lineups for the festivals in the lead up to the summer being a little shall we say a little, okay a LOT disappointing we very quickly decided on a holiday abroad and to tick off one of the destinations I think we only dreamed of visiting.
I mentioned in both Part 1 and Part 2 of our trip to Croatia that it was the best holiday I think I've ever been on and how many memories I will cherish from the trip. I think one of the memories that will never leave my mind is the feeling of stepping out the car on the first day, the heat hitting me and being graced with the most beautiful view that looked like paradise I knew I'd be a holiday I wouldn't be forgetting in a long while. 

Keeping Fit

I started working out before I went away to Croatia simply for myself. I wanted to shape up to feel better about myself physically and mentally and found that it was actually a perfect escape for 20+mins a day that I could enjoy regardless of losing weight or looking a certain way. It made me feel better about my skin, my well being and my mind. So returning back from holiday I admittedly let it slide for a while but I picked it back up again about a week ago and right now it's making me feel a whole load better about myself and honestly it's something I never thought I would enjoy. 

Finishing my degree
Now I know I've been over this what feels like 50x by now but receiving my final grade from university is the reason for many celebrations this summer and receiving a first-class degree is something I never expected in a million years. 

July

Citadel Festival

Okay so I kind of lied about not doing a festival at all, but what we really meant was we were ruling out doing a camping festival this year. Citadel is a day festival in London that we had never actually been to before. It happened to fall just one day after my birthday with one of my favourite bands that's been at the top of my list to see headlining: Tame Impala so it was pretty much a done deal. 

It happened to fall within the heatwave which meant the day was drenched in gorgeous sunshine and blue sky's which meant my vodka and lemonade went down, even more, a treat. We also saw The Horrors, LUCIA, Honne and Pumarosa. 

August

Producing the content I WANT 

Safe to say August is the month I've taken to myself to work on the things I want to. So I've been doing a crazy amount of blog shooting, writing and planning, I've started to take my blog into more of a direction I want to take. Talking about the things I want to and not really putting any restrictions on myself. It's actually something I'm going to chat about in a couple of weeks time but for now it feels fulfilling to be doing something for me and hopefully still something (you) are enjoying. But I feel freer in realising I don't have to do things because everyone else is doing them.

Also, I'm planning to relaunch my online zine so I've been doing some planning for that! Which hopefully you'll see if you follow me on Instagram or the zines Instagram! 

And finally, this is I guess is where I leave you summer for now, regardless of my summer state of mind. The darker and colder months are on their way, this is where shits getting real.

Photography by: Jamie O'Toole