The British Summer experience is definitely underway. Optimistic shorts and jumper (and often a raincoat) combo has been a staple, alongside afternoon tea and scones to keep warm and the odd unexpected day of beautiful sunshine.
The New Forest & Hampshire County Show was definitely an ultimate country day out.
I had no idea there were so many types of rabbit, that horse-drawn carriage competitions were a thing or that hot tub sellers would be seemingly the most common stall. We sampled our way around the food stalls and educated ourselves about the different breeds of animals, managing to catch a glimpse of the Wessex Ferret Club, terrier racing (complete with a challenging jump) and the Household Cavalry. Every man and his dog was out and about in the sunshine. We had a nice little game of spot the Honda Jazz (a popular car with the area's high elderly population) on the way out.
We took Salamander out for a day out on the water to watch the J Class and a selection of racing boats sail around the Isle of Wight.
Our intrepid guests were treated to an early start and a summer sail in full ocean gear we've barely had to use sailing round the world on one of the last days in July. But morale was high as we popped over to anchor off Hurst Point, where a someone's casual helicopter was stationed in a scene straight out of a James Bond film, and were treated to great views of the yachts charging round the Needles and back down the Solent.
The sun even came out for the trip back in time for afternoon drinks on board.
Lymington is a million miles away from Barcelona in many ways and walks by the sea do look a bit different. It's less a case of constantly overheating and more a, I probably would have benefitted from an extra layer because the wind has picked up and I could be blown off at any moment. Instead of dodging tourists on sedgeways, scout groups and cows are the force to be reckoned with. The silver haired population is definitely dominant here but I have heard a fair few Spanish voices so it's not all so different.
