Rain, rain go away

Just in case you thought us UK travellers were just a bunch of whiners, always complaining about the rain in the UK this year, and you’ve been there before, and it really wasn’t that bad and we should all just shut up:

I found this article on the M&G. Go read the full article there (before I get into trouble), but here are a few highlights:

UK hit by worst flooding in 60 years
By Katherine Haddon
“With swathes of central and western England under water and more rain on its way”

“Thousands of homes have been hit by the floods, which have prompted the Royal Air Force to carry out what it said was probably its biggest-ever peacetime rescue operation in Britain, picking up more than 100 people.”

“We've seen unprecedented levels of rainfall and flooding that people haven't seen for 60 years”

The best news ever!

Although I don't believe it for a second, after a month of nearly consistent downpour, and with half of the UK underwater, and still no sign of summer even in the first week of July - one cannot help but hope...

Although, it is worth noting that this is taken from the same place that I got the weather widget (see below on sidebar) from, and that thing lies!

Summer in the UK, and the Politics of Food

Summer in the UK is really wonderful - long, long days, sunshine and flowery parks (and jugs of pimms) - and while its not quite there yet, the build up has begun.

I think the changing of the clocks doubles as an alarm clock for hibernating Brits, as the population seems to double first week of April. At the first sign of double digit temperatures, people everywhere strip off to almost nothing and lie about in parks all day (damn welfare state) trying to tan.

Its a little humourous, but mostly its exciting. The winter here is sooooo long, and dreary that you cant help but buy into the sheer JOY that sunshine brings - and it feels warm. It doesnt matter that I've just been home to temps around 25 degrees, it hits 15 here and the sandles come out! At home 15C means reach for the hot water bottle and cocoa.

But here's the downside to Summer - winter bodies! With all these people getting almost-butt-nekkid around me, I've had to have a hard look at me in an unforgiving mirror, and see what winter has done to my waist line. Now dont panic - this is not a self-loathing, petulant post about dieting, well not quite. Actually I just wanted to have a small b*tch about the fact that I can buy a over-filling, salt & sugar high, million additives, thigh-stretching mcdonalds meal for £2, but cant get a nice fresh sandwich for less than £4!

What's up with that? (dont preach economies of scale at me - the question was rhetorical). It sucks, that's all!

Well at least I dont look like this chewed piece-of-biltong:

Tiny selfish joy over global warming

First a disclaimer: I am, um, how to put it..., pro-green. I think we should be utilising greener energy resources and limiting emissions - so dont inundate me with nasty posts about what a horrible person I am when you read what I'm about to say :)

It's been a totally survivable winter so far...and i'm pretty northern right now. I was bleak that London etc had loads of snow and we didnt, and I'm sure this post will trigger some kind of karmic backlash, and March will be frozen hell, but its hovering around ten degrees most days, and I am soooo thankful.

Maybe I have just been here too long but ten or nine or eight degrees is completely do-able for me. The UK has apparently had its mildest winter ever and I couldnt be more pleased.

P.S. I finally got the guts to ask my boss for some leave in April, so I can go home for a short visit - so here's holding thumbs for that!