English Weather

I know that England gets a bad reputation for having some pretty terrible weather. Having lived here for a year, I've seen just about everything that this little island can do from snow to hail to pouring rain. And that was all in one day.

Normally, the weather here doesn't bother me too much. I'm fairly productive when it's grey and rainy, and since that is most of the time, I'm pretty good about getting my work done. The few days that it is brilliantly sunny and pleasant makes those days even more wonderful; the grey makes you appreciate the blue skies that much more. I can generally even tolerate the cold and damp that seems to seep into every corner of the house. There is no toasty warm feeling when you walk in from out of the cold, only a slight less cold feeling.

I think what astounds me the most about English weather is that it is so... abrupt. There is none of the 'transition period' that exists in the states. There are no brisk mornings that melt into pleasantly warm afternoons, easing the switch from summer to fall. No. In England, we had weather that was in the mid to upper 80s, sunny, bright, swelteringly hot even. I went so far as to switch to my lightest duvet.

One week later, it went grey, cold, and hasn't peaked past 60. I've taken to sleeping in sweats and using my fleece blanket (although I haven't caved on the heavier duvet yet. I'm still holding on to hope). We've even turned on the heat for first thing in the morning when my other flatmates get up for work. It's hardly the end of September and I'm bundled up in blankets and I honestly debated bringing out my winter coat the other day. I'm sure, come November, I'll be talking about how we had a balmy Autumn, and this unpleasant and sudden switch from summer to late Autumn will feel like a distant memory. But seriously, England?  Can we get at least a few warm days?