Squelch, squelch, squelch! No better way to describe the start of Winter in London. Wet feet, socks soaked through all day long; no shoes fully protected from the harsh elements. One's first winter in London is never a fun experience. If you have grown up in England and are accustomed to the eight months a year of constant downpour and very cold temperatures, I'm sure it's not that bad. If you have come overseas from the southern parts, it can be a huge shock to the system; turning what you are used to upside down. Instead of warm, summery happiness nearly all year long in southern Africa, Australia, NZ and South America with the occasional cold front, one is confronted by endless months and months of gloom; rain, rain, rain and no sun.
I understand perfectly now why the weather is spoken about so often, that it takes up nearly a page in the Metro and why "Summer" is discussed at such length on the news channels, on trains and in living rooms all over the United Kingdom. It's because "Summer", she is a huge 'thing'. If the two months of summer are bright and warm, it improves the lives of the local people, it's as simple as that. It lifts the mood, people can wear shorts and skirts for a bit and Mother Nature breathes a sigh of relief and allows the flowers to bloom. When the sun shines, people smile to themsleves on their way to work even when they are in a rush. London glows; the parks are full, restaurants place tables in their outside areas, children can run free in the fresh air, people exercise in the streets, you can smell a "braai" nearly every evening on the way home from work and people just look healthier.
Three days into the rainy season, things are not looking good. A long winter of hibernation, coffee-drinking and greyness awaits...
One positive: at least it's London, one can surely live with that!
