The Daily Sketch: Summer Solstice?

Summer Solstice? Could have fooled me. The calendar may show June 21st, but this year’s longest and lightest day of the year  had something decidedly dark about it, as thick grey clouds lingered over the UK all day, burgeoning upon us a winter’s worth of damp, windy wet weather. And all this on the first day of summer? No wonder then that at Salisbury’s infamous prehistoric monument, Stone Henge, the usual crowd of slightly “buzzing” pagan (“new age”) revelers were somewhat down in numbers, and perhaps a little dizzier than usual as the much promised summer got lost somewhere around mainland Europe, as the skies in Britain unfolded around them, and the solstice sunshine was irreverently blanketed in a thick layer of obstinate, wet cloud. But such is the English summer. The first day brings with it what promises to be another few months of depressing drizzle, with the following inevitable results: rained-off Wimbledon, squidgy Olympic opening ceremony, water-logged open air theatre and an August from the ice age. God bless the Brits – try as we might, life in the Summer outdoors is never quite going to work for us. Still, the weather can never take the strawberries and cream away from us. Even if they are imported from Egypt. Pimm’s anyone?

Norms celebrating “Summer” Solstice, at Stone Henge (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen on paper)

Related articles

• Summer solstice: Facts about the longest day of the year (columbiamissourian.com)
• Summer Solstice 2012: Why It’s the Longest Day of the Year (thesciencebulletin.wordpress.com)