Friday, June 20, 2008

Summer

Summer officially begins tonight at 6:59PM CDT.

In Winnipeg, the sun will rise at 05:19 and set at 21:41. That is 16 hours and 22 minutes of daylight. This amount increases to 17 hours and 50 minutes if you calculate in the twilight hours of dawn (04:35) and dusk (22:25). This is the longest day of the year. After this, we start decreasing daylight and working our way to the winter solstice!

Here in southern Manitoba, we would normally be well into our summer like temperatures by now, but this has been an unusually cool spring. Until the last few days, the average daytime temp. has been several degrees below the normal of 22-23C. (71.6-73.4F)

I'm not complaining though, as I actually like these cooler conditions. I'm one of those people who wilts in the heat. The cooler temps. at night are ideal for sleeping. I also find the brightness of the sun hard on my eyes - even with proper eye protection. I'm the Grinch that prefers the cloud cover!

Most people love the summer and all the activities that go with it. Kids and teachers have been counting the days until school is out. Parents are counting the days till the little darlings are back in school! A lot of people take at least a portion of their holidays in the summer so that they can enjoy summertime activities such as camping, gardening, sports and the wide variety of festivals, fairs and celebrations that are coming up in the coming weeks.
http://www.travelmanitoba.com/
http://www.tourism.winnipeg.mb.ca/
http://www.theforks.com/forks

One thing that I am looking forward to this summer, is a new addition to the activities in this area of the city. Starting on Thursday, June 26 and running through September, there will be a farmers market in my neighbourhood! It has been several years since there was any real attempt at a farmers market in this area, so I'm hoping for success. I've told you about my lack of gardening skills, so it will be wonderful to buy locally grown produce and other products from the various vendors!

There are others in the city - one downtown and one very large and popular one in St. Norbert, but they are difficult for me to access - especially the one in St. Norbert as it is about 1/2 mile from the nearest bus stop! There are also numerous roadside markets along various highways in the province. All with a wide variety of produce and locally made products.

For the most part, I will probably spend at least part of the summer trying to stay cool in an apartment that has no air conditioning! Our summers are short and there are usually only a few days that get REALLY hot (30C/86F) which can be a problem especially if you add in the humidex (humidity) factor. Those hot humid days also create havoc with my corneas - it is like looking through a fog!

So no matter what your plans, don't forget a hat, the sun screen, mosquito spray and a bottle of water - it will make the outdoor activities a lot more enjoyable!

dn

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