Things to look forward to this July
It's just 3 weeks in mainstream English schools till we burst out those doors and say hello to the summer. Of course the private schools are probably off already and I have a feeling Scotland finish earlier too, not sure about Wales actually. And even if you're not a teacher or don't have school age children we're certainly getting to that point in the year where we all feel the desire to chill out more, taking every opportunity to frequent a beer garden or local park.
Part of me wonders if that's why we don't really have many national or traditional holidays in July and August in England - we don't really need them in the same way we need Christmas and Easter and Pancake Day and the Spring Bank Holidays. In July, we don't need an excuse to celebrate - the celebration is simply being human, being alive and the weather being pretty decent.
That said, here are some dates to celebrate this month:
Butterflies: Friday 14th July to 6th August
Similar to the Big Garden Birdwatch in Jan/Feb, the butterfly count is a citizen science event which asks participants to sign up, sit in a spot for 15 mins and simply note how many of which species of butterflies you see in that time.
It helps the butterfly conservation society understand population patterns; declines, growth and movement, and it's also a good way for us to simply sit still in nature and focus on something else for a little while. A great mindfulness activity if you ask me!
Find out more by visiting the big butterfly count website: https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Balls: Wimbledon 3rd-16th July and Women's World Cup 20th July-20th August
I must admit I'm way more excited about the football than Wimbledon but Wimbledon is just one of those sporting traditions that will always be on in my house. I remember coming home from school everyday for two weeks hearing the pattern of silence, grunts, thwacks and claps (repeat) and remember never really paying attention.
Of course tennis for us didn't get that interesting until Mr Murray came on the scene. I remember his first win, I was watching the final in my friend's flat and the people downstairs must have had a faster internet connection as they were watching and reacting to everything a split second faster than we were. It wasn't fast enough for us to verbalise their reactions but it was slow enough for our brains to register a point before we'd seen it on our screen. A weird kind of spoiler where we knew a second before he'd won that he'd won, which felt anticlimactic in a weird kind of way!
As for the football, well I'm a season ticket holder to Bristol City Women's Football team and we are now in the Super League which means we'll be playing games against many England players. I'd been getting into women's football since the last world cup back in 2019 and it's been incredible to see the journey that not only our amazing squad, but the sport in general has become in just 5 years!
I get emotional at every game, live or on TV. I love the crowd and the atmosphere - it's such a family friendly place, and it's not just girls that come to the events too. Parents bring their sons and the sons take it just as seriously as the male sport. Before the England team came out at the final at the euros last year, I started crying saying I was so incredibly proud of them whatever the result. What an amazing day that was.
I'd love to see England in the final against the USA (the best team in the world), but wherever we end up I'm just excited to see this beautiful game on TV again after a few weeks of the seasons ending!
Bad Christmas Movies: Christmas in July: around 25th July
Christmas In July was something I discovered on a trip to Australia about 10 years ago. It was winter in Melbourne so lots of bars had Christmas decs up and would do Christmas dinners and drinks. Apparently it's been a "thing" in different countries for decades. Of course it most certainly comes from some kind of marketing or advertising I'm sure, but I don't care.
For two of my friends and me, we've turned it into our own tradition the last couple of years. We get together, buy all the christmassy junk food we want, and then watch a bunch of hallmark and netflix christmas movies. We strictly stick to that kind of film as this is not the time for the classic Christmas ones. But if you're thinking of doing your own Christmas in July, you get to decide what traditions you do! Maybe you'll make mince pies? Or maybe send gifts or cards to friends? Maybe you might even listen to Christmas songs all day. Have fun with it and let me know if or what you decide to do!
So those are my July plans - what are yours? Do you have any special dates, traditions or celebrations coming up this month? Let me know, I'd love to hear about them!
Hello there! So lovely to connect on here 😍 oh wow I can see why you’d be into women’s football since then as USA are second to none in the world! Have you heard this will be Rapinhoe’s last tournament? What a player!
Thanks for joining me here, I don’t write about football all the time but hopefully you’ll enjoy my other random witterings about seasonal living and sparks of imagination ! Xx
I stumbled upon your Substack through Jon’s cartoon animation substacks comments and so glad I did! American here, I have been following the women’s National football team since I was fortunate enough to attend the ‘99 World Cup at the Rose Bowl. I love that you are a season ticket holder to the womens league in Bristol.. how cool! My husband started following the men’s team, Leeds United, last year. We may find ourselves there for a game next year if the stars align. ✨ thank you for this piece!