Summer Blues

I am nostalgic for summers past. . . Every August growing up, we would take a city bus to the CNE to enjoy the rides and junk food, arriving home well after dark carrying a giant stuffed animal and sporting a sunburn. I can no longer stomach the rides or the food but the smell of fried donuts and cotton candy always take me back to those simpler times.

The Ex, as it was affectionately called, was also the signal that school was just around the corner. A visit to the Ex when it opened was always better, because you still had about two weeks of summer to savour. If ever someone could feel blue in summer though, this was the time. And, if you missed the Ex completely because you were sick or the parents decided to visit family in Northern Ontario, the summer blues were really bad! As the first day of school approached we could usually be found lolly gagging around a swing set or on the top of a picnic table in the park, remembering the cool things we did earlier in the summer. Talk of school would surface briefly, rumours about a teacher or a back to school shopping trip, but reminiscing about the summer took precedence, as if bringing up school and the future would break the happy spell of summer.

This year the Summer Blues have hit early . With the oldest heading off for his grand adventure across three continents, the second son back at university and the youngest heading off for his first year at university, this month will be a time for reminiscing, not just about summer, but about the past 25 years - about their childhood and also ours.

Do you have a favourite summer memory? Share it with us in the comment section.

For the month of August, all blue fabric will be 10% off the regular retail price when you mention the Summer Blues blog entry.