Can it be autumn please? Six signs you are suffering from summer fatigue

Wielding the potato peeler to create another courgette ribbon salad has got boring

It’s well known that you get to this point in the year and find that you are suffering from summer fatigue. Winter fatigue is certainly a thing, but that is driven by short days, dark mornings, mud in the house and ice on the windscreen; whereas summer fatigue is to do with looking forward to putting away flimsy things and getting back to normal (eg, thick jumpers and mince). You may flinch at the very idea that it’s possible to tire of summer, especially after the glorious bank holiday we’ve all just enjoyed, but bear with me. Now the weather seems to be on the turn, darker evenings may not be such a bad thing, when you consider the main culprits causing us summer fatigue.

In no particular order…

Naturally, have just bought another one in Zara (really floral, really long, can’t go wrong), but enough. With Carrie Symonds and her sell-out pink print Ghost dress we have reached peak floral midi. We’re sure they’ll get plenty of wear come June 2020 but, for now, how nice would it be to see the back of them?

Let’s face it, none of us can remember a year when rosé has been quite such a dominant presence in every social situation and we can now admit that it has positioned itself in a somewhat dangerous place in the alcohol hierarchy – just above elderflower and soda, but way below a white. Where we are with rosé is, we think it’s a seasonal drink, so no harm overdoing it a bit, because we’ll stop soon enough. Drinking rosé past a certain point is like eating Christmas pudding in January. At the same time, we feel duty bound to make the most of it – a bit like enjoying as much ricotta as possible while in Sicily – and if it’s very pale peach, then that is a lot like drinking spritzer. When is it time to put it away for good? Are we still operating on a September – unless Indian summer – cut-off? Or, if the weather is fabulous, are we cracking right through to Hallowe’en?

They lurk in corners of every room, waiting to trip you up. You could put them away, but you don’t want to go to the trouble of doing that if there’s going to be a freak Beast from the South, and you never know.

Sunglasses fatigue

You spent too much on them in the first place on the basis that the higher the spec, the better for you (you fancied yourself in Persols). Then keeping tabs on them/not snapping them/not scratching the lenses proved to be a constant source of lowlevel anxiety. Regular specs are quite enough to be dealing with.

Courgette ribbons fatigue

There was a time when we were delighted to discover another way with courgettes, but that was a while ago and now wielding the potato peeler to create another courgette ribbon salad has got boring. Interesting things to do with peppers, also getting us down, tbh.

Catch-up TV fatigue

To be fair, this isn’t specific to summer – but in summer you get a monumental backlog of Must Watch Or Be A Social Pariah TV, because so many people insist on making the most of the long days. So what started out as useful has become a significant dump on the to-do list. If you say to someone: “You have got to watch…” They’re likely to say “Shut up! Back Off! I’ve just finished Derry Girls!

I’m starting on Chernobyl!

I can’t fit in This Way Up or season three of Gomorrah until November, so do not tell me about Fosse/

Verdon. You’re making me stressed.”