Indicators of warm weather

• short sleeves and trousers
• bra straps showing
• bumble bees on flowers
  
• sticky tarmac
• cars with windows down
• other people's music
• a curtain flapping out of an open window
• people describing the outdoors atmosphere as 'really chilled'
• slow walking
• deep shadows
• sunbathers on towels in the park
  
• a longing for cool drinks
• the smell of cucumber
• clinking of ice cubes
• lethargy
• sunburn
• traffic jams; the smell of hot cars; scorching my legs on dark leather upholstery
  
• aromatic plants
• not being able to sleep in the heat and throwing off the covers and sleeping under a sheet
• cold showers
• sound of an aeroplane overhead
• sound of a lawnmower or a strimmer
  
• children shrieking and splashing
• scent of pine woods
• buzzing insects trapped indoors
• ants circling
• not trying to keep warm
• prickly heat
• seeking shade
• heat haze
• stillness
• bird song
• crickets ticking and flies buzzing past your head
• flowers make splashes of bright colour on brown and green background
• drying grass heads
• things flipping and flollopping into the pond
• flower heads turning towards the sun
• creatures rustling in the shade
• the sun is warmer than the air
• the grass is damp
• ice cream vans
• air conditioning shivering my skin and fans whirring and drying out my throat
• thin cardigans
• not wanting to touch white paper or white sewing
• strawberries, cherries, raspberries, melon
  
• dust outside
• bare feet
• treading in water and leaving footprints on the terrace
• finding tea very refreshing
• not wanting to be near supermarket freezers; and seeing that all the other people in the queue have bought meat and drink for a barbecue
  
• not drinking enough
• Pimm's; white wine; cider; cold beer; gin and tonic with lime
• vegetables and herbs from the garden
• very soft butter
• food spoiling in the sun and outside air but no-one can be bothered to clear it away
• horses crowding into the shade and standing with their heads down
• trying to get some air through the house by opening all the doors and windows. Closing all the doors last thing at night, and opening them all first thing in the morning
• putting my face against something cool