How to Capture the Essence of Summer

Either you are hanging out for summer to come round again, or it is here and you are stuck inside at your desk cubical with not even a view to the window. Those at the window complain of the glare from the cars parked outside it. The shades remain drawn most of the day. It is depressing and everyone having a good time, with stories of sun, surf and sand, you’re jealous and you live so far away from surf it isn’t funny. Every weekend seems to mock you by being horrid weather or you are otherwise engaged as some other function on an amazing beach day.

NEVER FEAR: here are some fail proof tips to Celebrate summer with every breath*

*Well nearly fail proof.

Experience Summer with your five sense.

Ok you lost me.

There are lots of foods you identify as being a summer food. For me this is chips and a can of coke.

Cocktails, another one particularly Pina-Colada’s, Sex on the Beach, any other exotic fruity flavours.

Summer fruits:

Best to be eaten in the summer as hopefully they are riper and locally grown!

Mangoes

Watermelon

Bananas

Blueberries, any berry really.

Raspberry

Pineapple- add it to absolutely everything! It is great with savoury or sweet.

Go exotic if you can’t get the taste of summer from the above try, Papaya, Lichee, Kiwi Fruit, or Honeydew Melon.

If all that isn’t doing it for you, Sunscreen, you know what you might accidently taste in your haste to slip, slop and slap.

Summer smells, cut grass, wild fires, smoke, Bbq, chlorine, cocktails, or icecream. Well some of those things we can live without. Bring the feeling of Summer on with the smells of summer.

Wear it the fragrance of summer.

Bubblegum:

Fresh and fun

Yes and slightly young!

Sex on the beach cocktail flavor:

Yeah you might be old enough to realise it is way too much effort than its worth, but hey you can always love the idea.

Pina Colada, yes I love walks in the rain, pineapple highs this is the epitome of summer smells!

Mango, traditionally summer, and vibrant orange it all but screams summer.

Tropical flavours, of somebody else’s idea of summer, but they might be on to your summer scent.

Ocean Breeze, love the smells of the ocean. Just hope they didn’t capture the seaweed rotting smell.

Aeroguard, that classic smell to keep the flies and mozzies away, hey maybe it will keep away the annoying co-worker or two.

Cranberry crush, such a lovely vibrant red, with sweet smell.

Cherry Blossoms, such a sweet smell

You can also get most these flavours in bath/shower gels, hand moisturizes, candles and detergents.

To help the ambience in the office, you can always grill sausages in the lunch room – this would be preferable to those seafood lunches!

Get an oil burner with some two stroke oil in it, to relive your summer boating aspirations (this is really only funny in theory… don’t actually do it.)

Right now, you are just getting smart with me.

No, you can feel summer the suns glow, the warmth, and the balmy breeze.

Walk to get lunch, eat outside if time allows.

Spend at least 5 minutes outside if possible

If practicable move meetings outside.

If none of this works:

Get a bottle of sand to add to your clothes straight after the shower.

Break the air conditioner, so you at least feel the stifling heat.

Drive the car with the windows down, reliving the summer of ’69.

I don’t mean just the sound the sunscreen bottle makes as it empties, although that is a classic summer sound, or the sizzle of BBQ, the solid thwack, thunk, and thud of the cricket ball and bat meeting over and over again. These too are the sound of summer.

The sounds of the dolphins call on CD, or the crash of the waves against the ocean, or the sounds of the neighbours pool party with giggles, shouts and the cracking of a can.

You could always get a six string, you know a guitar, apparently it is the sound of the summer of ‘69

Music is a great way to experience a feeling for a long time.

A list of all time favourite summer songs:

1. The Summer of ’69 - Bryan Adams

2. Californication - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

3. All summer long – Beach Boys

4. Island in the Sun – Weezer

5. Good Vibrations – Beach Boys

6. High Voltage – AC/DC

7. Staring at the Sun – Offspring

8. In the summertime – the mixtures

9. Sunny Afternoon – the Kinks

10. Summer Lovin’ (as performed by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta)

11. Eye of the Storm – Bliss n Eso

12. Drunk – Ed Sheeran

13. I don’t care – Iconica

14. Surfing U.S.A. – Beach Boys

15. Summer Long – Killing Heidi

16. Summertime – Eddie Cochran

17. Summer in the city – Lavin Spoonful

18. Lovely day – Lit

19. Hot fun in the summertime – Sly and the Family Stone

20. Angel – Shaggy

21. Summertime – Billie Holiday

22. In the Summertime Mungo Jerry

23. Those lazy crazy days of summer – Nat “King” Cole

24. What a swell party this is – Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby (To remember the earth has been ending for a very long time!)

25. Summer Wind – Frank “Blue Eyes” Sinatra

26. The Boys of summer – Don Henley

27. Teenage dream – Katy Perry

28. Nosebleed Section – Hilltop Hoods

29. A big hunk O’ Love – Elvis Presley

30. Sunset – Powderfinger

31. Staring at the Sun – The Offspring

32. Freestyler – Bomfunk MC’s

33. Roll On – Living End

34. Paradise City – Gun’s and Roses

35. I love Rock and Roll – Joan Jett

36. Chase the Feeling – Hilltop Hoods

If you don’t want to create your own playlist, you can always buy one pre-made!

Grass skirt and coconut bra, not really your look? How about an Hawaiin Shirt? You’d rather sit on a pineapple?

To get the sunburned look you can always utilize the red blush, just make sure you act like it is itchy.

Put up summer scenes around your office or home, change the wallpaper on your computer a summery one.

If it is cold, wear dress or a summer outfit over your winter long johns.

Put up a big umbrella at your cubical or in your lounge room, keep a beach ball nearby.

Wear zinc, get that summer look glowing, add a hat and some sunnies to authenticate it.

Get a desk fan to authenticate the summer feeling.

If you really want to look summery, the best way is casual and carefree found in this link. It is less satirical and actually has some useful advice.

This possibly reminded you of that whiny friend or colleague who is too busy to experience summer properly, you can always give them an injection of summer from the ideas here. Maybe you are in the middle of minus temperatures dreaming of summertime, you can capture summer now for yourself!

However you do it, devour every moment.