The day summer came to town…
Summer is here. At least for now. OK, it’s May, so it’s still a bit early. Nevertheless, we seem to be enjoying very summery weather at the moment. Better make the most of it while it lasts…
These photos were taken during our evening walk yesterday, when the temperature hit +20°C (= 68°F). I’m wearing the cardigan mainly because of the sea breeze…
For my readers in warmer countries: here in the Nordics we consider +20°C (= 68°F) a nice summer weather, perfectly normal for June, July, and August. But in May, it’s unbelievably warm, almost hot, instant summer. Certainly a good reason to go out and celebrate.
Which means that there were people everywhere: in parks, on the seafront, wherever there was a little bit of lawn to spread a picnic blanket on. And it was as if nobody had ever heard of Covid19 or social distancing…
The pessimist in me can’t help but expect the infection rate to go up again in a week or two. The optimist in me (or the part that is fed up with the pandemic by now) just wants to enjoy the moment. Preferably from a safe distance to other people, which sort of comes naturally to someone who is not a very social person to begin with.
By the way, in case you’re wondering: yes, it can get a lot warmer in Finland, too. We usually have at least a week or two (or five) of 26-30°C (= 79-86°F) weather in summer, usually in July. Add to that the increased daylight hours, and it can get quite warm, both indoors and outdoors.
So, Professor M has been busy ‘sun-proofing’ the flat: all the windows in the living room and the bedroom now have blackout curtains. Even after so many years in Finland, he still can’t get used to the early sunrise… At the moment, sunrise is just before 4 am, and sunset just before 10 pm. But we can expect to get about two hours of more daylight before summer solstice.
By the way, you may wonder why I’m still wearing the battered old pair of Ecco trainers I’ve been wearing since March (or since the ground thawed and the snow melted). Well, it’s simple, really. This warm weather arrived so suddenly (as it always does…), and I have no idea where all my summer shoes are.
OK, that’s not quite true: I do know where they are. Sort of. I just can’t get to them, at the moment…
You may remember that when we moved into this flat it was winter. So, to avoid clutter, I packed all my summer shoes in a suitcase, and then put the suitcase in storage, outside the flat. You see, in this apartment complex, each flat has a designated, additional storage area in another part of the building. And our storage area is filled to the brim with… well, I don’t know what exactly, but let’s just say that we used the storage as a dumping ground for all the stuff we didn’t know what to do with, didn’t need at the time, or didn’t have time to get rid of.
Did I mention the storage is filled to the brim? And by that I mean that if you try to fit anything in, the whole thing will come crashing down. The steel cage holding it together will simply burst. The same is probably true if you try to remove something. So, somewhere in that mess is the suitcase that contains my summer shoes. The problem is, I don’t know which one of the many suitcases it is… The other suitcases? They’re filled with books. Or Professor M’s summer clothes, or some random crap I don’t even remember buying. Yes, we have a lot of suitcases in the storage. And yes, nobody needs that many suitcases. I only need one: the one that is tucked neatly away on the upper shelf or my wardrobe. I have no idea where all the other suitcases came form. I think my husband is a suitcase hoarder…
Of course, I will have to face the storage eventually. But we just moved in (OK, a few months ago), and we finally have a relatively tidy and uncluttered flat. I just can’t face the mess in the storage right now. Not yet. At least not until I desperately need to find the one good pair of sandals I have…
In the meantime, it’s even warmer today than it was yesterday, and I have a day off, perhaps I should go for a walk or something. All the parks will be full of people enjoying the sunshine; this might just be the perfect day to go shoe shopping without worrying about social distancing…
Outfit details:
dress: Pelle P (old) / cardigan: Esprit / sunglasses: Woobs (old) /
bag: Marimekko / shoes: Ecco (old)
Are you prepared for summer weather?
Tiina
Linking up with:
Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, High Latitude Style, A Labour of Life, Curly Crafty Mom, Doused in Pink, Not Dressed As Lamb, Living on Cloud Nine, Elegance and Mommyhood, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Shelbee on the Edge, A Pocketful of Polka Dots Style Splash, Away from the Blue, Mummabstylish , The Grey Brunette, Mutton Years Style and I, Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva, Independent Fashion Bloggers
Wow that little bag will cheer you up every time you carry it. Lovely to be able to wear a summery dress again. Putting stuff in storage always turned out badly for us better to be a ruthless declutterer, as if 🙂
Author
Thanks, Flora!
Yes, I know, storage is never a good solution… It’s a bit odd, but even though we moved into a bigger flat, we have less built-in storage than we used to have in the old, much smaller flat. In other words, we had to get some new storage cabinets / systems for both clothes and shoes, and we’re still struggling to fit everything in. What we gained in empty floor space (which is lovely, of course), we lost in storage systems, it seems. Oh well, decluttering continues, by now it seems like a never-ending project.
That dress is cute and I love that floral bag with it. Jacqui x
Author
Thanks, Jacqui! I got the bag at Marimekko online outlet sale.
Happy little purse! My friends is France that live in apartments have similar storage spaces. I can imagine how difficult of a task it will be to organize it or find something if it is filled to the brim.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Author
Thanks!
Filled to the brim, that’s the operative phrase here: every nook and cranny in this flat seems filled to the brim. How on earth did we manage to fit all this stuff in a much smaller flat???
Love your striped dress and massive earrings and the cute bag!, you rock your comfy&cool style!.
I consider 20ºc a really pleasant temperature, we’re not having such a warm weather (curiously!). I really like the few days when spring behaves nicely, and we enjoy some proper springlike weather but not heat!. I’m happy under 25ºC. Obviously, I have to deal with higher temperatures every summer, but we have blinds (heavy ones outside our windows) and air conditioning.
People are spreading on parks and terraces, cycling and walking everywhere, which I don’t enjoy as I’m really asocial, but this is not so bad. I’ve watched in horror that everybody went bananas in Madrid and Barcelona, partying at the very first moment when lockdown law expired. Damn Covidiots.
The task of organising the storage is something that I’ve always managed to postpone. Totally understand you!
besos
Author
Thanks!
I prefer under 25ºC, too. Especially as the temperature does not really go down in the evening here (because we have about 18 hours of daylight in summer), so there’s no respite from the heat at all. And the blinds we have are really not up to the task, either. But for my husband the real problem is always the very early sunrise (which will be before 4 am in about a month), which affects his sleep. He says he needs a dark bedroom. Now he’s obsessing about getting air conditioning…
It’s crazy, isn’t it, how people are so quick to forget all danger when it gets a bit warmer, or the restrictions are eased just a little bit? I understand that people are tired of the situation, we all are, but throwing all caution to the wind will just prolong the pandemic, once again. Sure, we may have an easier phase in summer, but will everything get back to ‘normal’ in autumn? I doubt that, not if people keep ignoring restrictions and guidelines.
I’m sure you’ll find your summer sandals eventually but right now you look perfectly fine with the shoes you have on. I haven’t done one thing about switching over to summer shoes. One day it’s nice here and the next it’s back to chilly weather. We had so much rain this month so not really weather for sandals. Love that purse! It looks great for carrying just what you need while taking a walk. Can I ask you is that your mother with you in one of the pictures? The one with the sunglasses on? If so, she is beautiful and I think you look like her. Have a fun weekend! Hope the weather holds up. Arlene from NJ
Author
I know! It’s the same here: we had a few days of lovely, summery weather, and now it’s raining…
Which picture do you mean? The one I posted on Instagram on Mother’s Day? Yes, that was my mother with her purple sunglasses. She was a very beautiful and stylish woman. Unfortunately, he died in the mid-90’s, just before her 55th birthday.
Yes that is the picture I was referring to. So sorry to hear that your mother died at 54 years old.
My sandals were only in the wardrobe closet upstairs, but getting to them required moving a box or two and an ironing board, so I went in semi-summery shoes or barefoot all the hottest days. So I totally understand your reluctance to attack the storage. Btw, while choosing the pictures to publish in blog, did you notice, how the earrings are like blown away petal from that flower in the bag? -q
Author
Oh yes, the sub-optimal storage solutions that involve stuffing too much in one closet… My dream would be to have a dressing room, with everything displayed nicely and within easy access.
Oh yes, the earrings, you’re right. Of course, it’s the wind. It seems it’s always windy in our new neighbourhood.
Lovely outfit for spring/summer. The flower bag is fabulous! I often struggle to find shoes and clothes because I pack them away in suitcases – I don’t have enough wardrobe space for everything. The weather is dreadful here, so wet and windy…it feels more like autumn! Thanks for joining in the #stylewithasmile link up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Author
Thanks, Emma!
Oh yes, the eternal question: where can I fit all my clothes… It seems that flats in particular, and probably houses, too, are designed for people who have super minimalist wardrobes, and don’t need to worry about trivial issues such as living in a country with 4 seasons…
The daisy bag is so cute with the stripes and the cardigan! I wear sneakers with my dresses all the time too, I was looking forward to wearing my sandals this summer but my knee hasn’t healed enough yet sadly!
20c sounds so cold – it’s hovering around that here the past few days because it’s almost winter, haha!
Hope you are having a nice weekend 🙂 Thanks so much for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup!
Author
Thanks, Mica!
I think I might like Australian winter. Not so sure about summer, though…
Such a cute bag! Love the circle shape with your striped dress! I hear you about the weather. We actually got a Spring this year, where many times we go from Winter to Summer. Enjoy the days!
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Author
Thanks, Jess!
I’m hoping the weather will finally get a bit warmer (but not too much), after a couple of weeks of rain and wind. It’s almost summer, after all…
Tiina, I love this outfit and that adorable little flower bag! We had some summer like temperatures here the past week that felt like summer but it is back to regular spring temperatures in the 50-70Ëš F range. Thanks for linking with me!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Author
Thanks!
It seems Mother Nature is having trouble deciding what season it is…