Here comes another beautiful, sunny day. When will the torment end?
Brits are happiest when their weather is awful. Oh, they’ll complain
about it, and claim to be tired of grey, wet days in June, windswept Julys and
August afternoons that require a puffer jacket and wellies, but deep down
(actually, not so deep) they’re reveling in their misery. But what would you
expect from a people whose finest hour was when the Germans were dropping bombs
on them?
Accordingly, this spate of hot, sunny, summer-like weather has them in a
state of panic. Granted, it is hot here, New York Hot, as I like to call it. I
know it is as hot as New York because I was just there, and it is just as hot
here as it was there, and to be fair to the Brits, that means temps in the
mid-90s, which is pretty much unheard of.
A strange sight. Shorts, that is. |
The standard greeting these days is, “Hot, isn’t it?” and the news
stories are all about how hot it is, as if we don’t already know.
As someone who has gone through many a heat wave—and in the days before
air conditioning—allow me to tell you this: it is hot, and it will be hot until it
stops being hot. Complaining about it only makes it worse, and panicking makes
it worse yet, so just relax and enjoy it. You’ll be back to normal, grey,
rainy, cool summer days before you know it. In the meantime, do what we used to
do back in the day—go to a supermarket and stand in the frozen food aisle.
We get shown weather maps like this all day long; it doesn't help. |
I, for one, am relishing the unusual weather. It’s a joy to finally
experience a real summer again, especially when you consider that, for the first five
years that I lived here, I didn’t even own a short-sleeved shirt.
So, Brits, chill out. Get back to complaining about Brexit, grab a cold
beer or a G&T with lots of ice and find a shady spot to sit and admire the
flawless blue sky. Expose your white skin to the sun (but not for too long!), watch
the grass grow brown, and savor the dusty, dry scent of summer heat. Trust me, you’ll
miss it when it’s gone.
The good news is, it’s due to rain tomorrow. I expect everyone will complain
about it.
This is the grass outside my flat. Most of Britain looks like this now. Not so Green and Pleasant, is it? |
Really, really need some rain though.
ReplyDeleteLiving 20 miles from the coast sounds great but it's too cold to swim in the sea until this happens, then it's too crowded to park your car within 10 miles of the coast, because everyone has the same idea and coastal resorts don't prove enough spaces or charge more per hour than most people earn.... only in Britain.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. No matter how hot it gets here, the water is freezing cold. And I saw the pictures of Brighton Beach--no way would I want to be there!
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