Into August

After another day feeling dead on my feet - I strongly suspect that all my recent filming in and near corn field might have triggered some kind of allergic reaction - I'm finally beginning to feel a bit better.  Mind you, just saying that is tempting fate and now I'll doubtless suffer a relapse and spend the entire weekend feeling like hell.  This really isn't the way I'd like to have kicked off August, that long languid month which constitutes my favourite part of Summer.  Despite feeling rough as a dog's arse for most of the week, I've still been ale o discern the change that has taken place as we've slipped from July into August.  There's no doubt that today the roads were far emptier than usual, feeling almost empty (in relative terms) by five o'clock, reinforcing the impression that, come August, the whole world is on holiday.  Everything moves much more slowly, time seems suspended and a carefree attitude prevails.  All we can hope for is that the dry and bright weather continues for most of the month.

Not that everyone seems to share the latter sentiment - it is amazing the number of people I've heard complaining about the heat.  I mean, after the run of fowl Winters and lousy Summers we've had over the past few years, you'd think that everyone would be happy to see a Summer heatwave.  I know that I am.  My only problem with the heat is that I've been working through most of it, meaning that I've had to spend considerable amounts of time in my car, where it can get stifling.  However, with the prospect of my annual Summer leave coming up in a couple of weeks, the idea of another sustained heatwave seems very appealing.  Although, of course, as soon as I mention that I'm taking time off towards the end of the month, I get people warning me that 'they' say the weather is going to take a turn for the worse in August.  In never ceases to amaze me, this apparent desire some individuals have to try destroy other people's expectations of happiness.  But, like the heat-haters, they're just ignorant pillocks.