SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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When I was in Eastbourne (UK) on holidays with my friends, one Saturday I told them that I had to write something for "Summer Stock Sunday".

My friend looked at me and said, that makes no sense. I only could agree, I know the word summer at least out of the dictionary because in reality it's hard to remember a normal summer and I can only imagine pictures. On the other hand "stock" so far meant to me the things I keep in my basement like a stock of peeled tomato cans and according to the Google dictionary it also means : An instrument that signifies an ownership position (called equity) in a corporation.

These two words put together would mean that I should live with a stock of summer sunshine, inside my body to keep my equity (or equilibrium) and then of course it all makes sense.

Meanwhile I bought two new ombrella, for 5 € each, because I already lost 3 ! I take them with me because it rains and when it stops raining I forget them and usually I don't remember where. Bad weather on top is expensive.

With all this I learned something new which apparently only exists in the USA as in the UK it rains as much as in Belgium and the weather is more or less the same !

The Summer STOCK THEATRE ! It is a theatre that generally presents stage productions only in the summer time in the United States.

Summer stock theatres frequently take advantage of better weather by having their productions outdoors. Which explains that for this reason I didn't know this expression, because if plays would be performed outside here all actors would be wet and the public too !

As it will be summer until September 22, I will pretend that it is summer, and keep my summer clothes on, I only have to add a thick hooded anorak and my optimistic mood sing in the rain and cause accidents !


.....and ending end of September"

SUMMER (?) STOCK SUNDAY

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I just did a study about summer ! Because I am sitting here with the heating on and outside it's grey and cold. Officially it should be the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, where I live it is usually defined as the period between the summer solstice (year’s longest day), June 21 or 22, and the autumnal equinox (day and night equal in length), September 22 or 23.

I don't know who invented this, but anyway it is not true in practical life and this since years !
But as I have to adapt to the clima, official summer or not, instead of wearing shorts and T-shirts I am hanging around in a thick sweater and jeans and instead of sandals I wear warm slippers.

Instead of laying in my garden and enjoy the warm sunshine of end summer with a good book, or "working" at my computer on the terrace, I sit inside and enjoy the heating and watch crime stories on TV. My favorite series is "Midsummer murders" with Inspector Barnaby. Midsummer is a place in England where in each film at least 4 people are murdered in average. I wonder if there are still inhabitants. At least the place has the word "summer" in it.

Another series I love to watch is "Morse" who loves classical music to solve crimes which puts me in a funeral mood. He drinks a lot, but that's understandable, because in Oxford it rains a lot too.

Although "Global warming" has been changed into "Climate changes" and won't warm me up anymore, I still have hope that summer comes back, maybe on Christmas, because it wouldn't be the first time that we had temperatures around 15°C (59F) or even more just like now in summer.



I certainly can say that for next week !

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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My summer is definitively over ! The whole August had been a catastrophe with temperatures around 20°C (68 F) with lots of rain and local floods. Insurance companies are not happy at all and have sour faces, and the farmes take the opportunity to raise the prices because it was too wet, before they raised them because it was to dry and hot !

Anyway there was one nice day where I thought we could sit at the beach and take our last sunbath ! Not at all ! It was so windy and cold that I consider these people at the beach as heros ! Maybe in the dunes it was a little wind protected.



But you never know maybe in October it will be hot ! But at the Belgian coast the high season is officially finished. Poor people who had rented flats for the whole month of August, as lots of Belgian families do with their children. Keeping small children in a small flat when it rains must be the top of holidays !



That's how I spend my days when I go out, enjoying the rain, getting wet and wished I could move to a country where it is summer whole year long and I can use my ombrella to protect me from too much sun !

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY - Eastbourne holidays

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Just before I left I decided to spend the whole day at the beach of Eastbourne. I had never done that because we always went elsewhere. But this day my friends had other things to do and so I walked along this beautiful seafront



On the left side is the street for cars, in the middle this colorful flower bed all along the seafront and to the right a nice way to walk.



I went to the Pier, all in white and blue



Made sure to follow this advice



From the Pier looking to the left side I had this view



and to the right side these beautiful old Victorian style buildings, which btw are all along the seafront.



I sat on one of these banks and did a little sun bath with the result that I had a red face in the evening but fortunately it turned into brown the next day.



after an hour I walked slowly back. There are lots of little souvenir shops, but also others, restaurants, bars a gambling place (under the round dome) and dancing places



and also a place where leisure fishermen try their luck. I didn't bring any, one fisherman catched an old piece of fabric not even in fish shape.



Then I had a sandwich sitting on the beach and watched the seagulls and people. It was a very nice day.

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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I enjoy my holidays in Eastbourne (England) very much. The weather could be a little better, we sometimes have showers and it also could be a little warmer.





I love to see these typical English houses and also window shopping on the main street



There is the Eastbourne Airshow going on so we went to the beach had a sandwich and watched the planes



Lots of people had the same idea and also sat on the beach



There were boats watching the airplanes from the sea



We also went to Hastings for a walk and had a Burger there which was very good.



and sat at the beach looking over the blue sea and I was watching the seagulls.

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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This week again our summer moved probably to Moscow where it is awfully hot. I couldn't enjoy nothing summerly this week, except mowing the lawn between two showers.



Our street looks wet and it rains, not very much but it is very humid. Since I hang up the little bell at the garden gate so that I can hear people ringing when we are in the garden, we never could sit outside again and nobody had to use the bell !

When my fridge broke down I put its content on the garden table ! It was cooler outside then in our basement ! And it's only August ! Yesterday morning it smelled already a little like automn. Help ! I hate this season ! So besides walking through stores and shopping centers or meeting friends, this week I felt no difference between summer and winter !



The cats too prefer to stay inside and wait that summer comes back !

I only hope that next week I can report about a wonderful warm weather because I will go for a week to the English coast and expect summer there !

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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Since the heat wave 10 days ago, summer has disappeared after a heavy thunderstorm. It became cool and grey. We had to take our cardigans out again and the ombrellas too. Of course I catched a cold and had to stay home.

Yesterday I felt better and summer showed its nose again. Not very much but still to allow to put our jungle (garden) in order.



There were these terrible dandelions growing everywhere. Last year I had put a special product to kill them and had tried to pull them out, with the result that they still grow with pleasure and like my grass.



I mowed the lawn, this has become my job now, since Mr. G suffers arthritis. Fortunately the lawn has a handkerchief size and it's quickly done. The grass we have to put in special paper bags provided from the city against money of course.

Now it looked clean again, although quiet dry which is rather strange as it had rained the last week but apparently not enough.



The entrance I had cut by a professional gardener, because the bushes are so thick and high so that I can't do it. This year it grows like hell and it's already the second time I had to have it cut. Otherwise you can't get through to our entrance. Usually I have it done twice a year in spring and autumn.

The bell hangs at the door during summer because when I am sitting outside I don't hear the
door bell.



Rosie was my little helper, she loves the smell of freshly cut grass and I too !

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

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I decided to take a little break from the Weekly Winners during summer and join Summer Stock Sunday. As soon as the summer is over I will be back.

Last week I and my friend went to the Belgian coast again. We have decided that each time when it will be very hot we will spent the day at the beach where at least there is some air. Inside the country when it is above 30°C (89 F) it's very sticky. We only have 1 1/2 h drive and we are there.





These are the famous Cuistax which you can rent only at the Belgian Coast, I haven't seen them anywhere else in Europe



Holland is just around the corner



It's so nice to walk through the dunes





the beach is very long and has a lot of space, therefore you still can find places where you are not sitting one on the other ! Especially when you take your own material alsong, such as an ombrella a beach chair and a pic nic.



As you can see we were very well equipped !







On this side of the Belgian coast (towards France) the buildings along the beach are not too high, only 5 to 6 floors. In other parts they are far higher and the coastline is very ugly.



Mr. Beach Watcher had not a lot of work, the water was still quiet cold !



People played all kind of beach games



a helicopter watched over us



and in the evening some thunderstorm clouds came up, but by then we had left.