As a decorator with an eye for colour (I hope!), summer in full bloom is a visual feast for me. This weekend gone, we've had the delightful Mappfest down on the Link Common (with a tremendous fly-over from the Red Arrows!) and several gardens have opened their doors to visitors to come in and view the results of their owners' many hours of loving labour amongst the soils.
And yet this is still tinged by the knowledge that we have already had the longest day of the year. It seems that summer has barely started yet already the nights are drawing in (too much Game of Thrones for me there!)
But for a decorator the summer gives us the time and (fingers crossed), the right weather to complete those exterior jobs. It can be hard painting or decorating an outside in the winter months, with shorter days and more inclement weather seeking to disrupt proceedings. In fact, I often think of the old cricket adage when decorating external walls and homes: "Rain stopped play!" For many in the trade I know, this is all too true.
So make the most of the summer weather. Get those outside exteriors freshened up!