'Summer is icumen in'

 

  Photo by Ankit Sood on Unsplash

Let us quit the leafy arbor,
And the torrent murmuring by;
For the sun is in his harbor,
Weary of the open sky.

Evening now unbinds the fetters
Fashioned by the glowing light;
All that breathe are thankful debtors
To the harbinger of night.
Yet by some grave thoughts attended
Eve renews her calm career;
For the day that now is ended,
Is the longest of the year. 

from 'The Longest Day' by William Wordsworth 

As I write, it's still light, in fact we will have 17 hours 6 minutes of daylight today, the longest day, the Summer Solstice and traditionally the first day of summer in our Northern Hemisphere. 

The sun wasn't shining brightly today, but nevertheless crowds gathered at Stonehenge, despite people being requested not travel there, to watch the sun rise from behind the Heel Stone. English Heritage's live stream of the event had to be cancelled when police were called.

Click here for other ways to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Click here to listen to 'Summer is icumen in', one of the oldest songs ever written.

Writing prompts:

• Write about a summer you remember from when you were younger. Use all your senses to describe what it was like, as well as how you felt.
• Long hours of daylight or long hours of darkness? Write about which you prefer and why.
• Write about what you are most looking forward to about the coming weeks of summer. 

Please do share you thoughts in the comments box below.