If you live in the UK like we do then being obsessed with the weather is something you’ll appreciate. It’s something to do with the British trait for actually enjoying disappointment.
This summer, as usual, has been a bit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sure there were the odd sunny moments. It wasn’t a 1 out of 10 grey bleurgh write off. But we ain’t exactly all rocking mahogany tans are we? It’s not a summer anyone will talk about.
So summer is done. Goodbye potential beach barbecues. See you snorkel sessions. Bye bye another year without surfing at home in boardies/bikinis. Hello overflowing CSOs, poopy seas and glum, damp tourists cursing their decision to staycation.
It doesn’t seem right, somehow, that it’s now officially autumn already. Or Fall if you’re not from here. The season made for surfers. A season where nature puts on a colour show of true wonder. All those lovely autumnal tones in the foliage. For a day or so before an ex-hurricane comes through and blows them all off to block up the drains. Still. The Atlantic seems in a spicy mood so hopefully the surfer’s season will live up to expectation. It rarely does so it’s about time we had a belter.
As a diversion from any pressing work here are our autumnal pros/cons…
PROS
•Roast dinners
•Proper swell (crosses everything for more hurricanes as it seems pretty active this year)
•No crowds (hopefully)
•Offshores
•Water’s still warm.
•Parking restrictions end and car park prices drop
•Nature’s free bounty collected and converted into chutney
•Bonfires
•Getting to play with high explosives without getting in trouble
•Dressing up as zombies
•Getting to surf the deep shelter spots again
•The pros showing us how France and Portugal are meant to be surfed
•Not having to dodge tourists
•Riding shortboards
•More roast dinners
•Conkers
•European surf trips
•Watching SUPs get rinsed trying to paddle out when it’s over a foot
•Not wearing boots or gloves. Yet
•The zing of frosty morning sand between your toes
•Bacon sammiches
•Coffee steaming in the dawn freshness
•Lines to the horizon
•Beanies
•Farmer’s tan
•Being able to park
•Craft microbrews (summer is cider/prosecco season)
•Overhead waves
•Getting snug in the back of a van
•Nature’s colour show as the leaves turn
•Few more roasts for good measure, as you can never have too many roasts
CONS
•Restricted hours of sunlight
•Endless rain
•Beer gardens revert to being only for hardcore smokers/vapers
•No dawnies or lates
•Christmas schmaltz even though it was only summer last week
•Clothes smelling of bonfire smoke
•Wetsuits not drying
•Ruining wetsuits by drying them by bonfires
•Floods
•Snow (don’t laugh, probably will in October)
•Frosty wetsuits
•Endless flat surf
•Freezing tootsies and fingers letting you know it really is glove/boots o’clock
•Finally admitting it’s time for the hooded suit
•Having to flush the lovely warm wee out and it being a heart attack inducing moment
•Onshores
•Getting see through bad gravy with a roast
•Salad
•Admitting it’s not really cider and ice season anymore
•Farmer’s tan
•Not having enough bedding in van and so freezing
•Closed public toilets (year round issue tbf)
•Cheap firework displays
•A big storm blowing all the golden leaves off in one go #standard
Enjoy the golden season while you can. At this rate it’ll be winter by October…
