No offense, T.S. Eliot, but we think August is the cruellest month. There’s something about August’s weird, end-of-summer vibes; the long days, the tension in the air, the feeling like we should both be on holiday and be back at normal work at the same time. September may be fun and fresh, October may bring on that crisp autumn feeling, but August is a strange month. Here’s our guide to getting through it.
- Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
Summer’s not over yet, you miserable fools! We can all sit around and misquote T.S. Eliot but despite the drizzle, the air is warm, the drinks are plentiful, and we haven’t all yet descended into our winter cocoons. Go find your local, ask for a glass of the DrinksWorks Barra Chardonnay, and enjoy what’s left of the summer. - Go Find Your Unlocal
You may have used up all your annual leave on that weeklong trip to Nice or Greece or Australia or wherever in July – July, the holiday month, the month when we toss our cares to the wind and flee for brighter shores – but there’s still plenty of weekend tramping to be done in August if you set your sights a little closer to home. We’re lucky enough to be based in Bristol, close to a hundred of just about the nicest gems in the English countryside. Why not do a daytrip to Gloucester, or Cheddar? Go explore our favourite sidestreets in Burnham-on-Sea or have a seaside wander at Minehead or Weston-Super-Mare. And when you’re done refreshing your tired eyes, go find a pub: some of our favourites are in the area. - Start Planning Those Winter Wonders
There’s no need to get too gloomy about the end of summer – there’s lots to look forward to about the last quarter of the year. September brings Bristol’s very own Make Sunday Special, and with it students will pour back into the city – love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny that having the city at full capacity again brings something of Bristol back to normal, or at least makes it less of an apocalyptic wasteland. And then comes the excitement of autumn: Christmas on the horizon, crisp nights, bonfires, s’mores, and, of course, the indescribable pleasure of a lovely Barra Merlot on a night in by the fire.
So don’t worry at all about the dangers August might present – lean into it, and enjoy your last official weeks of the summer.
