The Daily Telegraph

ARE YOU A SUMMERPHOB­E? QUIZ YOURSELF

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It’s Thursday evening, and the weather forecaster appears jubilant. He says the hottest day of the year so far will be this coming weekend. Do you:

a. Feel bad about not having made plans that involve being outdoors for a full 12 hours and carefree with friends.

b. Tentativel­y unpeel your outer cardigan.

c. Drive to the petrol station for a disposable barbecue and Frisbee. Summer’s here!

At work, all water-cooler conversati­ons revolve around holiday plans. What’s your reaction?

a. Nothing. You would happily go through the day without hydration to avoid chat about a colleague’s forthcomin­g fortnight in Florida.

b. Spend the morning on cheap flight websites to keep up – there must be a deal on somewhere.

c. Leave photos lying around of the beach resort you’ve booked, ready for anybody who asks.

In August, the flood of out-ofoffice replies to emails and the sight of a near-empty office leaves you:

a. A bit down in the dumps, to be honest. Where is everyone?

b. Jealous – but finally getting some work done.

c. Overcome with FOMO (fear of missing out).

How much TV do you watch in the summer?

a. The same as I do in the winter.

b. Just the big sporting events, music festivals, the Proms, that kind of stuff.

c. Are you mad? I don’t watch TV in the summer. I soak up every moment of the long days.

What do you associate most with the word “September”?

a. Nights drawing in, the weather turning, and total relief.

b. Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 funk classic.

c. Sheer misery. How many months till spring again?

Mostly ‘a’s

You’re a prime candidate for summerphob­ia. But it is more common than you think...

Mostly ‘b’s

Nothing to worry about, but you could still do with relaxing a bit. It’s just a bit of sun.

Mostly ‘c’s

You have nothing to worry about, apart from those terrifying words “winter is coming”.

 ??  ?? Ellen Himelfarb’s advice is to face summerphob­ia head on and enjoy the freedom
Ellen Himelfarb’s advice is to face summerphob­ia head on and enjoy the freedom

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