Cruel Summer
We can't watch the news, it's so awful it makes us cry.
Looking back through the kaleidoscope of images, musically themed thinking from Taylor again powering my consciousness, I scrabble back to the streets of downtown Vancouver, Canada, on this very day in August 2009; to find something positive to talk about in this bleakest of weeks.
As reported at the time; by the excellent Georgia Straight; The 2009 Vancouver Pride Parade kicked off on a sunny Sunday afternoon (August 2), as thousands of Vancouverites took to the streets to celebrate the spectacular event. The Broadbent family was mesmerised, watching the floats roll by with beautiful half-naked men and women singing and dancing along with the crowd. Everyone was there to share good times and memories while celebrating and supporting the LGBT community, and I see fifteen years on, this excellent organ of BC communication is again gearing up for an extra day of holiday and an entire week of Pride activity spread across every section of the community in what I have to say is one of my favourite cities ever visited.
Remembering every summer activity at home and abroad over the years provides smiles and emotional tears in equal measure; our own kids playing roles in Pride parades in Leeds and Manchester, all of those graduation ceremonies, weddings and civil ceremonies, the barbecue and outdoor parties and concerts, the town parades from Ripon to Seattle, Gala’s days, cricket matches and beer festivals, agricultural shows and fell races; washouts and called-off plans, changed by British summer rain, open air performances, under the radar festivals, dog shows and bandstands, tour buses and steampunks, vintage cars, steam rallies, caravan parks; family holidays, every food and drink; the pictures in my mind go round and round until I stop for a lemonade find some shade; where I sit right now.
So much to be thankful for.
So much to be positive about; so much goodness in so many people, known and unknown. Not a cruel summer in sight.
The peace and tranquility and safety of the garden, a small beer and the dying august sunshine dropping down over the church and cricket pitch, done for the day.
How can there be so much cruelty and hate in the summer?
Surrounded further afield by a sunburnt cocktail of protest, disruption, fighting, rioting, attacks, murder, carnage and clickbait fuelled clashing; I don’t want to think about what may happen in Leeds or Bradford or Hartlepool or anywhere else across the UK this week; we are not alone; I scramble back through the images and happy times of this year and yesteryear; rejoicing at how lucky I am to be loved and thinking of those who I love.
Looking through thousands of digital images captured across the globe spanning nearly twenty years, I can find no group of snaps that better captures the joy and carefree abandonment of being completely happy with who you are, living your best life and absolutely doing whatever is best for you; not just on that long hot August holiday weekend, but every day of your life.
Let the images from Vancouver Pride, 2nd August 2009 say it for me this week; there are no words I can say to put things right, I looked at hundreds of images from one day in my life; and I found these from 15 years ago; we are lucky to be in the lives that we find ourselves in.
Whatever our experiences, we owe it to ourselves and to others to be kind to one another and live life peacefully; summer does not have to be cruel; it can be kind too.
You can do anything.
Next Week: The Horrendous Stopper
If the hat fits? Rene Magritte knew a thing or two about bowlers.
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