Song for a Summer Sunday Morning (Le Ballet by Celine Dion)

So summer is finally here. Or so they say. We have had scorching temperatures in London the last few weeks. Climate change or rebellious weather? I don't know, but yours truly is not a happy Bunny.

Now, I have nothing against summer but after living twenty six years in a country where there's sun almost 24/7, a thermometer shooting up to 30 degrees Celsius ceases to be an out-of-this-world experience and becomes routine instead. That's the main reason why I like the weather in Britain. Note, I am not saying I prefer the British weather to the Cuban one, I'm just stating that having four distinct seasons as we have here in GB, makes a big difference. Plus, unfortunately for the last seven or eight years I have become another victim of hay fever, a condition of which I was unaware when I lived in Cuba (and here's a tip for you fellow summer-allergies sufferers: someone said to me that in order to lessen the effects of hay fever I should drink geranium tea, starting as early as February. I thought, what the heck, having geranium tea cannot be that bad, can it? So, I went to my local Holland and Barrett but they'd never heard of it. What they did have was geranium oil and would you believe it? The woman behind the counter had heard the same advice being given in relation to the oil. So I bought some a couple of years ago and I'm happy to report that although geranium oil does not rid you of hay fever it does alleviate your suffering, you know, the itchy eyes and throat, the constant sneezing, Why is that? I've no idea, but put a couple of drops in the bath, no more than a couple of drops, please, and voilà, come summer there's still hay fever, but less sneezing, less itchiness... Oopsie daisy, I just realised that I'm still in brackets, puts right foot out and then the left one). Sorry about that, I got carried away. Where was I? Oh, yes, summer. That's why when it comes to my least favourite seasons, it is winter and summer I think of, the former gives me dry skin and no snow (except for this year when there was some) whereas the latter shakes all that pollen off like a dog that's just come out of the water. And where do these powdery, yellowish spores finish? Up my nostril. Nein, give me the crunchy sound of dry, auburn leaves in October and November or green shoots in April and May anytime and I'm happy in the same way one of the Jonas brothers will be on his wedding night.

But it's summer and we can't ignore it, so from today until September I'll be uploading tracks that are, in my humble opinion, summerish. As usual, there'll be a wide selection. Some of the performers are recent, pleasant discoveries and obviously there'll be a few oldies to balance things off. There will be salsa with a social conscience, salsa with no social conscience and salsa with not even a salsa conscience. There will be rock'n'roll, pop, R'n'B, jazz, classical music and gipsy punk.

And also, I take advantage of this first post of the 'Song for a Summer Sunday Morning' to let you know that as the warmest season of the year fast approaches I will be absent from the blogosphere quite often. Between family commitments and trips to other parts of the British Isles, I will have less time to be online. So, I hope you enjoy this musical selection that kicks off with an amazing singer and a song from her pre-Titanic and pre-weight issues era. Enjoy.

Next Post: 'Killer Opening Songs' to be published on Tuesday 9th June at 11:59pm (GMT)

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