“In the summertime, when the weather is hot…” what cheerier way of celebrating the carefree days of summer than the famous Mungo Jerry song? A myriad of fine weather activities are mentioned: from fishing to parties, from swimming in the sea, to meals out. The rhythm makes us think of an old steam train chuff-chuffing up a hill in the sunshine – though these days we might instead be inclined to find it reminiscent of the relentless rising of prices in many countries, as well as of the high-speed plummeting of human rights in other (not-so-distant) ones.
Let’s try then to stock up as if we were ants, but with retroactive supplies. Thus, this 21st June seems like the start-up of a locomotive, and we can be sure that the clanging noise and slowness involved are bound to protect us from all the ups and downs. Could the smoke rising from our locomotive’s smokestack be a white hanky waving goodbye to those leaving on their holiday train, with a comb handy to untangle all the knots of a matted situation?
All it took was to go off track – or “derail” – for a few instances and we’re already in summertime gear. Let’s hope we can stretch this mood well beyond the summer. For the time being, the best we can do is make ourselves comfortable, perhaps in the window seat.