After a month of dithering I finally got round to renting a London bicycle or Boris Bick, named after their creator: the blonde mop for hair, conservative, etonian Major of London Boris Johnson who enjoys shouting 'Lefty Tosser' at members of the Occupy movement (Take note Neil Kerwin). The weather played no small part in my decision, specifically the prospect of rain. Now, the stereotype that it always rains in England exists because it is true... just not as true as you think.
Warmth and sunshine, reminiscent of the family reunions I attended during the English summers of the 1990s, greeted me my first week in England. Next week however (when a lot of my friends from American University arrived), clouds and showers turned umbrellas inside out and London's uneven pavements into small ponds for ducks to swim in. Sadly, my nice long umbrella wouldn't fit in my suitcase (some things have to get left behind) and the cheapest umbrellas cost around £13. Forget that. One thing I'm glad I packed was my very heavy and windproof Barbour jacket with pockets that are bigger on the inside. Even if my hair got wet in the torrents of rain my body remained dry. It receives the Charles Merrick's endorsement (As well as the endorsement of Charles, Prince of Wales). Seeing the best of the English weather and the worst has lead me to draw some conclusions.
Firstly is the fact that rain in Britain is frequent, but is on and off. By that I mean when it rains, it rains, but very different weather follows when it's over. That may mean a 20 minute shower followed by sunshine or it may mean a week of sun gets replaced by a week of rain within the space of a few hours. The sun didn't appear for an entire week at one point and on another occasion this week no clouds were visible. As I write this blog the top of The Shard is completely obscured by cloud, but it still hasn't rained in three days. However, that could literally change at any moment. When it rains, it rains, but it doesn't more often than you think.
The other observation I have made regards my potential relocation here upon graduation. People recommend you spend a winter in a country you want to live in if you hate the cold (and summer for people who hate a very hot/humid climate). The thing is, the Gulf Stream that keeps Great Britain wet also keeps it much warmer than it would otherwise be. I mean, the country is on the same longitudinal plain as Canada and I know Boston is colder than London right now. Whilst I might have to give up a lot of snowfall, I do know that even if the temperature dropped a few more Centigrade (Which is a better system than Fahrenheit) I would be fine... partly because it isn't very cold, but mostly because it is stylish for posh men to wear jumpers (aka sweaters) under their sports jackets or put on three piece suits. This isn't a declaration that I will move to Britain later in life, but it is worth noting that it is possible to enjoy riding a Boris Bike in November and probably in December as well.
P.S. As I wrote my second to last sentence it started raining...great.
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