I'm not sure if weather anxiety is actually a real thing or if it's just something I've made up... either way, I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from it. Let me just explain myself a little bit if I may.
It's really bloody warm in Finland at the moment. Some days it's pushing 30 degrees (Celsius) and I've been pottering around in my shorts and T-shirt. I don't know where this nice weather came from, but it happened all of a sudden. We had weeks and weeks of miserable, dreary drizzle and literally overnight the skies cleared, and for the last few weeks we've had glorious sunshine. Now, I'm not complaining in the slightest. Sure, my apartment is hotter than the sun and I've pretty much embraced the sweaty look as humidity here is through the roof; but it's Finland, and when I signed up for this life, I did not expect to be experiencing weather like this at all! Perhaps, very narrow-mindedly; I assumed that Finland was a cold country and that their summers weren't much to write home about, but I hold my hands up as I was very, very wrong!
I'm guessing you're wondering why on earth I've given this post the title of 'weather anxiety?' Has anyone here ever done one of those reverse bungee jumps? You know the kind where you sit in a little seat attached to two, huge bungee ropes either side?! Circa 2006, I went to Magaluf/Shagaluf/Shagamuff whatever the cool kids are calling it these days. I'd had a few too many blue WKDs and my friend and I thought it would be a great idea to do this reverse bungee that offered scenic views of the Magaluf strip. I know what you're thinking, Maguluf strip and scenic... Definitely an oxymoron if ever I heard one. Anyway, after being harnessed into the little seats, we sat there for what seemed like a life time just. waiting.
The bungee was great and wasn't half as scary as I'd imagined it to be, but that wait is something that always sticks in my mind, and this is kind of how I'm feeling in Finland at the moment. Sure, the sun is shining, I've been swilling Pimms down by the Marina like it's going out of fashion, but sooner or later I'm going to be pelted, kicking and screaming into winter and I'm just not psychologically prepared for it in the slightest.
I missed the majority of the Finnish winter last year as we didn't arrive until early February, and it felt like the worst was behind us. The days were getting lighter and the ice was beginning to melt. We watched Finland come alive, but even now the dark nights are creeping forward and although the weather couldn't be more perfect, there's this looming sense of apprehension about what's lurking around the corner. I guess it's the first time I've experienced real seasons in over two years, so I suppose I can ever so slightly be forgiven for being a bit of a soft arse.
All I know is that it's going to get really, really cold. As in, -25 degrees kinda cold. I'm no kitchen appliance expert but I'm pretty sure that's around the standard temperature of a freezer. I've been told that once it gets that cold, that there isn't really much difference between -25 and -40 because it's just that cold. I'm sorry, but that's bullshit! (Pardon my language) I'll take -25 over -40 any day thank you very much. In fact, I don't particularly want either and I'm wondering if there's some sort of third option here. I own clothes with feathers in them, and that statement alone is enough to validate this entire post. I'm going to be thatperson that clings onto their summer sandals for far too long and refuses to accept the fact that summer is finally over.
I'm thinking that I need to get chummy with Bernard so I can make use of that watch of his and enjoy the Finnish summer for a little while longer. Any one fancy helping me track him down?
