The Great British Weather

I simply had to write a post about that subject sooner or later. It is small talk topic no 1 in England, there are even TV shows about The Great British Weather, and everyone abroad mentions the bad British weather first and the bad food second - even though I really like English food, but this will be another post!

First of all, the English weather-speak is a form of code. It's either ritual greetings, like "Nice day, isn't it?", conversation starters, "Still raining, eh?", or default fillers, such as "Ooh, isn't it cold today?!" I have to admit I use it as a filler quite often. If a conversation gets stuck, I usually come up with the weather talk.

And, I have to say there is a lot to talk about, because the weather here is changing so quickly. Yesterday, I went for a walk in the park. When I left the house, it was super sunny and hot. I was wearing a shirt and sunglasses. As soon as I arrived in the park and sat down on a bench, it started raining. I took out my new umbrella and my cardigan, and decided to walk home. But I noticed no one else was bothered by the rain. The boys were still playing football and frisbee and the parents were still sitting around, enjoying their picnic. I swear it was pouring down when I took that picture: 

In England you have to be prepared for everything: sunshine, rain, wind, clouds. I usually carry a big bag with me that includes a cardigan, a scarf, sunglasses, an umbrella, tights and sometimes a second pair of shoes, because you never know how the weather will be in an hour. I consider it as a good thing, though, because if it's raining, it's very likely that the sun will come out soon again. And often it happens at the same time. I haven't seen as many rainbows in my life as in London: