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| Londoners cool off on a sweltering 37ºC day |
It's not news to anybody who knows me, even on a fairly superficial level, that -
I. Hate. Summer.
The primary reason we are here in temperate England and not in Australia is because of my inability to cope with Australia's horrendous and lengthy summers. Endless months of heat, humidity, bushfires, grass that turns firstly to yellow stubble and finally to dust... It tires me, it makes me angry - I so hate looking out into that harsh, brutal light and blinding glare of the sun. Then the oppressive nights that bring out the insects and spiders. Ugh.
Genetically I'm simply not designed for that climate. I have always felt more at home in cold and rain.
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| Yes, this is the centre of London - Southbank by the Thames where they ship in sand to let the people imagine they're on a beach somewhere |
In comparison England's summers are mercifully brief, but as ever The Maree Curse means that unusually warm weather has followed me to the UK.
A couple of weeks ago we suffered through several days in the thirties. Now, to an Australian, that won't sound too bad. However in a big, crowded city of 8.6 million people that's not geared up for heat, it's unbearable. Buildings don't have awnings to protect them from the glare of the sun, windows don't line up for cross ventilation, most places don't have air conditioning. Which brings me to the topic of public transport. Imagine, if you will, trains packed with commuters when it's 37ºC outside. Inside, with hundreds of heat-generating bodies and pathetic, tiny windows that open only a crack, it's 43ºC. I thought I would die.
We've barely had any rain for months as well. Sod it all, this is not how it's meant to be!
The only redeeming feature of this period has been the opportunity to catch up with a fairly large number of family and friends from Australia, all of whom decided to visit London within a few weeks of each other. All but one of those people congratulated themselves on visiting during a period of 'real' summer weather (you and I are soul sisters, Reyna).
In May Kevin's brother and sister-in-law came to stay, followed closely by friends Ed and Karen Gilmour. Then in June it was Lesley's turn to visit.
In early July we met up with the Gilmours and the Nazers for a fantastic meal at Mildred's in Soho. Half of London was out enjoying the summer evening - every pub, bar and restaurant thronged with revellers spilling out onto the street.
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| Yours truly enjoying a white peach bellini - a refreshing start to the evening! |
Mildred's is one of London's best known and longest established vegetarian restaurants. The food was superb. We ended the evening with cocktails in the bar of The Montague, where Ed and Karen were staying.
We spent the night in a hotel just a few minutes' walk away, still in Bloomsbury. It's an area we have always liked - and has long had appeal for me, given its Virginia Woolf association.
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| Caryatids at the St Pancras New Church |
The following morning we met up with our good friend from Sydney Reyna, who introduced Kevin and me to each other nearly 25 years ago. Reyna was in London with her daughter Lucinda and we spent several hours together rambling around Portobello Road Market and Notting Hill. It was an absolute scorcher, so much so that Reyna and I were compelled to purchase hats. Lucinda, sensibly, had come prepared.
We also had an unexpected visit from the children of a cousin in Norway - Andrea (16) and Peter (24). I'd never met them but when their mother told me they were coming to London for a week we invited them to stay.
After spending most of their week exploring London I drove the kids to Brighton on Saturday. For them the weather couldn't have been better, and they were thrilled with Brighton and its edgy boutiques, great pubs and artsy vibe. I lost count of how many animé stores we browsed, and Andrea came away with a super funky outfit that would be the talk of Lakselv, back home in north Norway. We rode the Brighton Wheel and Andrea got a temporary tattoo. It was a fun day.
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| Brighton Pier - luring Brits to the seaside since 1899 |
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| The Royal Pavilion, built by the George, Prince Regent, in 1811 |
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| Brighton beach and the Brighton Wheel |
The next day I drove the youngsters to Stonehenge, on a day that was more typically English - light drizzle and cloud cover all day. I've been to Stonehenge several times but it's still impressive. How the heck did the Neolithic Agrarians get those stones all the way from Wales, and how did they assemble them? They've stood for five thousand years and continue to be a powerful source of fascination to anybody who visits.
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| Stonehenge |
Our schedule of hosting continues apace with Kevin's sister due in the next few weeks, as well as the Nazers.
It's been so nice to catch up with people from home, despite the fairly hectic program. Lesley returns to Australia tomorrow and yesterday we spent the day at an antiques fair at Loseley Park, followed by lunch at the cutest little Hampshire pub, The Sun Inn in Bentworth, only about 20 minutes from where we used to live in Frensham.
Being so far away from loved ones is really, for me, the only downside of living here. Thank goodness so many of them are travellers and I have no doubt we can look forward to further guests.
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| Quintessentially English - a jug of Pimm's on a hot afternoon - hits the spot! |
Kevin's very long summer break is off to a great start with him already having done a cycling trip from the Lake District to Inverness and back with friends from our Frensham days, and he's now in La Toussuire in the French Alps, having completed a mountain stage of the Tour de France. This is a dream come true for Kevin, and all the better in that he's done it with good friend Matt from Frensham. He texted me at the end, and when I asked if it was tough, the response was simply 'Oh my god'. I am envisioning plentiful beers tonight and a very good lie-in tomorrow for them both.
I'm hoping for more gentle weather in the coming weeks. We'll be fleeing southern England for cooler climes in the middle of August - planning to spend a few days in Scotland where colder and wetter weather is usually guaranteed (unless, of course, you are afflicted with The Maree Curse...) and where the population is blissfully more sparse. I need a break from London.
- Maree xo
