To think that August is actually the crappiest month of the year?

[SummersOverSeasideTown]

If you live in England anyway.

Full month of school holidays but invariably much worse weather than June and July, combined with the fact it is noticeable that the nights are drawing in.
Combined with the pressure to make the summer holiday memories and the expense of doing so.

Mix in the back to school shopping (and the amount that sets you back) and the failure of any retailer to stock enough items, and then trying to find, amongst the small selection, shoes that are black and polishable and have no logo AND that a teenager is prepared to wear.

Then the realisation of what is coming -the school runs in worsening weather, the homework onslaught, the extra curricular, the extra washing, the dark nights but all combined in a month which is meant to be joyful.

Give me January any day!

Agree, I've always thought the English school summer holidays were too late. The Scottish system of holidays in June/July seems so much better to me.

Does anybody know the reasoning for the difference?

January is bleak but I guess you can look forward hopefully to it being over. August you're just heading straight into autumn / winter for the next 6 months.

August is always crap weather. We book our UK holidays in July, have never regretted it in the past twenty years. Always cold and/or monsoon-like rain in August.

@Mommabear20

Worst January August February March September May April July June October November December Best

Obviously an autumn fan?

I can see where you are coming from with that list.

August is peak wasp month so I hate it.

On the plus side I am also in Scotland so our schools have just gone back and the past few days have been nice and sunny.

But yeah August is just a boring month while I await autumn

@ApolloandDaphne

August is fabulous. It contains my birthday and my wedding anniversary.

Ditto, im the same!

I'm with you but it's because I dislike summer. So by august, I've had enough of sun, sweat, bugs and being thirsty. I love October - January. It's my favourite time of year

It’s the months when you’re ready for the seasons to change - feb you want spring/summer, aug you want autumn/winter

January is shitola but at least you’re not expecting ANYTHING from it. You know it’s head down, get through it. August promises a lot and it’s been like living under upturned Tupperware this year, to steal a phrase from Bill Bryson. You want picnics and wine in the garden and it’s all “did you bring a jacket?” and wondering whether it’s ok to put the heating on.

I agree this month has been so annoying. I can’t go to the places I normally go with my 2 year old twins as it’s so bloody busy. The thought of my girls not being able to just go in and out of the house without layering up with coats, hats, gloves etc gives me the worst feeling of impending doom.

August is shit because it means the enormous spiders are about to arrive in my house

Autumn is coming. The kids will be back at school. I'm feeling happy OP

@OldTinHat

No! It's the best! Last bank holiday before Christmas, last of summer days, month of mine, DS2 and nephew's birthdays (and mine is a BIG one soon!). Much better than the expectations in May and June for the weather, the disappointment in July that the weight you wanted to lose in order to waft about in dresses never got lost and the grim month of November when the weather is dire an you realise you can't afford Christmas presents.

These are good counter arguments but not good enough, the expectations of May, June and July are tempered by the hope of August, the weight issues of July are intensified by the August realisation that winter layers are going to create a look akin to the Michelin Man

It's not as bad as Jan/Feb but it is often really disappointing and has that awful end of summer feeling. September, once the that transition has actually happened, is often loads better. Best months are May, June & Dec.

Completely agree! Atleast you know what you're getting with January, August has the expectation of good weather and good times, but its actually pretty shit.

No I love being off work for all of August.

And wasps. Fucking drunk, idiotic wasps.

@Unprecedentedusername

February is complete bollocks

Absolutely. I'd happily do away with February.

I find August a bit depressing. It’s usually pretty miserable weather, it’s 8.36pm and almost pitch black here, the mornings are darker already. It seems to be early Autumn already. I was almost tempted to put the heating on today it was that gloomy. Whatever happened to balmy summer evenings. We’ve had dinner outside 4 times this summer.

And the spiders have arrived early. I had to vacuum my ceiling, the other day.

I hate August. Since becoming a parent I've just seen it as a month to just somehow muddle through. The lovely summer gardens are past their best, back-to-school stress is mounting, tempers are short and it's a very expensive time.

Now, autumn on the other hand is AMAZING! I love it to bits.

@MintyGreenDream

No I love being off work for all of August.

Me too. That's another reason why the winter months feel even longer. Leaving home in the dark to go to work. Leaving work in the dark to go home. Ugh 😣

I couldn’t agree more, op. August is completely wank - I hate it. I find it to be stressful, expensive and a massive disappointment. The past two years, which have stretched out without a foreign summer holiday has only cemented what I suspected. I LOVE Autumn and end of April - end of June as the weather is (usually and mostly) lovely.

I hate August because 90% of my family, DHs family and our friends have their birthdays in August. Throw in all the weddings and anniversaries too that all seem to land in August for us too. Costs us a fortune.

Oh I love August because it’s leading into Autumn and ‘Good Winter’ (before Christmas), and there’s lots of exciting things happening. I love it when it starts to cool and you can get a proper duvet on and get all snuggly inside! Bad Winter (Jan - March) is always the worst three months of my year…

I come from somewhere without seasons so usually I’m fizzing at every change of season in the UK and usually after a sweaty long summer I’m excited at the prospect of Autumn drawing near and the chance to maybe buy a new scarf and be all cosy. But I agree that this August feels a bit different, I think that’s because summer was curtailed at the start with the distancing rules, and in the middle for our family with iso as well. I feel like we were all waiting for “freedom day” for summer to start and then had two weeks of summer and now it’s over and I’m not ready 😢