Hello Sunshine

It's been Summer for all of an hour and I, a Brit, am already wilting in the heat. I'm hoping to subliminally bring down my core temperature with this blog, so join me for a glass of Pimms boys and girls, as I tell you about the season's most refreshing pursuits.

Costume Dramas

The troublesome fortnight between the end of "Winter Costume Drama Season" and the start of "Spring Costume Drama Season" has passed and once again, we're up to our knees in headstrong young women, smugglers and windswept moors - just the way The Optimist likes it. Excuse me a moment while I blow our national trumpet, and admit that we British are the masters of costume drama - we've been stackin' em up and knockin' em down for years and I have compiled a list of my all time favourites, along with where to find them, so that you too, reader, can bask in their glorious glory whenever you so choose. Doesn't that make you incandescent with happiness?

Central Perk

We're just a month away from the tenth anniversary of the final episode of Friends. It was broadcast on Thursday May 6th 2004 - can you believe it's been that long? Ten years since Rachel got off the plane, ten years since Chandler and Monica had their babies and ten years since the gang last met up for coffee. If you too are a fan of caffeine-laden beverages and you're still struggling to cope with your Friends withdrawals, The Optimist knows a place you might just want to visit.

Instagram

Ah Instagram how we love you. Your pleasingly square photographs, your array of filters - you turn our ugly duckling photos into beautiful, elegant swans. The Optimist just can't get enough, and, as the season of freshness and change is just beginning, it seems that now is the perfect time to introduce a few new faces to your daily gallery. Here are some recommendations ...

Spring

Rejoice ye all, for Spring is officially upon us! From here on out it's blue skies and blossom. Let us take a look at some seasonal highlights in another of The Optimist's Pinterest galleries. Hoorah!

The Oscars Are Coming ...

Selflessly and without hope of praise or adulation, The Optimist has been trekking back and forth to the Cinema in a bid to see this year's Oscars forerunners - so that you, readers, can enjoy this award favourites special. Please, don't thank me.

Two Door Cinema Club - Golden Veins

The Optimist has found your new favourite song. Turn it up, dance around the house - leave the curtains open - let the neighbours see!