The sun has been gloriously out the last few days and it is my favourite time of the year. I do like the when the seasons change throughout the year in this hemisphere, but for me it is better when the temperatures are a more amenable for going out more. We spend months and months experiencing rain and damp weather. Some seasons make me cold and cooped up, although I still try to do interesting things in the colder months. I am thoroughly happier to spend time doing as much (or as little) as I can when the sun and warmer months finally arrive. The British are know for being obsessed with the weather, with even British Vogue charts the reasons for this obsession. It may still be a nice way for the usually reserved British to open a conversation about the weather. What is guaranteed in Britian is that we will be talking about it whether come rain, snow, wind or sunshine. It is also not uncommon to experience all of these atmospheric elements in one day. Regardless of the weather, we must make time to go out for our own wellness and happiness, and that is exactly what I try to do. Here are some of my recent summer ventures and delights to recall with you.
I am not obsessed about the weather but I do tend to keep an eye on the weather forecast if I am going somewhere, or if I have an event coming up. Being originally from Trinidad, we usually do talk about the weather occasionally as it may be extremely hot, or it may be slightly cold. We rarely talk about the weather when the temperature is ideal. In recent years, there have also been frequent floods, hurricanes and earthquakes – which makes you appreciate good weather regardless if you are on a Caribbean island. For those of you who do not know, the rainy season in the Caribbean can be a big damper on your ‘summer’ vacation in the tropical islands. I had some visitors coming to see me in London this year and I was secretly praying for good weather when they visited a few weeks ago. There are several reasons for this:
- Tourist destinations look much better in the sunshine
- You are not cold and wet, otherwise you would have to seek comfort and warmth frequently
- You can enjoy a lot of outdoor sports and venues
- You get more done in daylight hours
- Homes may have an extra room outdoors
- Gardens look amazing
- It is a great time to get together
- Or have a party!
This year as I had visitors, it was nice to see and plan some events I have been meaning to do for ages. For more of these activities, we were reliant on us enjoying the sights and venues on a clear bright day. My friends are from the Caribbean and ‘feel the cold’ a lot more than myself. Acclimatisation is necessary to feel comfortable with your surroundings but even I have to be prepared for unexpected changes in the weather. The British Council has prepared some tips for visitors. If you are not sure, layering is definitely one of my own recommendations. It was slightly different between June–to-September 2018, as we experienced one of the warmest summers in the last few decades. The Met Office recorded that: “the summer of 2018 was the equal-warmest summer for the UK along with 2006, 2003 and 1976”. It was a relief to have good weather…although there are bigger questions and concerns about climate change.
One of the first activities in my list of things to do was to show the sights around the West End and historic London. It is handy that I live in Central London and can get the London Underground trains and buses to see most of the sights. We spent about four days in total going around seeing the sights that all first-time visitors like to see around the UK. These include Buckingham Place, Whitehall, The Southbank, The Thames, Covent Garden, The City, Olympic Park and a lot of shopping. I also had a fabulous first cricket game at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and we certainly appreciated that it was a dry day to watch the match.
I do have a car, which I do not use everyday. However, it is especially useful for going outside of London to see the countryside and other nice outdoor venues. I took my visitors to Cambridge, as it is only about one hour away from me. It was a stress-free drive but we had to make sure parking was organised, as it can be a headache trying to find parking anywhere! It certainly was cheaper to drive than the train tickets for the group of us going there for the day. Travelling in the United Kingdom is very expensive by train compared to other countries.
Cambridge is nice to visit all the universities and colleges – and has an international reputation for it’s academic facilities. In Trinidad, we had (or have) secondary qualifications and examinations that were accredited by Cambridge University, so it is one of the most well known academic institutions for any Caribbean visitor. It is also nice to wander around the town city and to go punting on the River Cam. I am also looking forward to attending and speaking at the SLA Europe Conference in Newnham College in September.
Arundel was an idyllic place to visit that was not too far away from London. I also wanted my friend to experience a traditional castle for its’ history, architecture, rooms, garden and the view. I have visited before to see friends who live there and knew the town well enough to see Arundel Castle and the amazing garden. I could have spent hours in the garden but I also wanted to go to Brighton whilst I was down on the South of England for the day. As the saying goes – make hay whilst the sun shines!
One of the highlights of the last few weeks was a visit to Paris. I haven’t been to central Paris for 18 years and it was nice to see the city again with all it’s charm and Parisian beauty. I again kept checking on my app to see if we were going to have nice weather and luckily we had some fab weather for three days of walking around and sightseeing. I have since heard that the temperatures have just soared due to the recent heat waves passing across Europe. I also liked that along the Seine, it seemed less busy and the architecture remained tradition as compared to London. I also managed to get my friends on boats three times in one week – Cambridge, The River Thames and The Seine. One disadvantage of travelling in the summer months is the length of the queues to go into Tourist attractions. I went to Eurodisney about 9 years ago and the queues were so long in July, but we still enjoyed the venue over a couple of days. On this trip, I was able to experience all the outdoor must-do’s and Paris will always be a city of love for those who want to be enchanted by it’s glory and culture.
We didn’t spend the entire time outdoors but it was nice to visit some of the main shopping areas and high streets in London. Whilst out, you see so many shops, and shops in turn, are also reliant on the business of tourists buying their goods. Every city has the usual souvenir shops and we do tend to buy the most iconic souvenirs and treats to take back to friends and family. We mainly shopped in malls, the high street and markets as I mentioned. For my guests, we only bought one item online, as we could not find it in the shops. The outdoor markets are just as fun and become a hive in the nice weather from Borough market for food to my local Walthamstow Market for everything.
If you are helping or planning community events outdoors in the summer, you may have felt panic or anxiety when have to plan for good and bad weather! There are always contingency plans for extreme weather but it is extra nice when the weather is good enough to continue as planned in the ‘great British outdoors’. This was the case with our 8th Street Party – the weather was forecasted to be raining up until the 11th hour before the party started. However like magic, we were able to have a warm and fun day outdoors without having to move equipment and all our gear indoors.
I also went to a recent Indo-Caribbean event in a Sport Centre in Ilford on one of the hottest weekends for the year so far. The heat wave from African and Europe had apparently pushed its’ way to the United Kingdom and temperature was notably humid. However, again it was uncomfortably warm in an enclosed venue but the evening was full of fun and good cheer even though we were sweaty and hot. I also spent a lovely summer’s evening in St Mary’s Church, enjoying the coolness of the ancient church to the rhythmic Flamenco all-female band from Barcelona, Las Migas, making their London Debut.
Ascot is another event where you hope there is going to be sunshine. I went this year with friends and as soon as my friend booked the tickets, she said, “Pray that it will not rain!” It was a bit rainy this year but luckily for Ladies’ Day, there was more sunshine than rain. I have been to Ascot before in the 1990s when we were in a Marquee with corporate hospitality where your food, drinks and betting are all within the tent. It is nice too to see everyone in the open racecourse and get the general exciting vibes of the races and the entertainment provided. For ladies…and gentlemen, it is even better when the weather doesn’t ruin your well-thought out outfits and hats.
The summer sunshine definitely improves our mood and wellbeing as we go out more, exploring our surrounding in better conditions and experiencing what’s about. It is my favourite season for going out for a number of reasons. I also love gardening (as you may know) and enjoy flowers and plants in this peak season. Ironically the summer months are also a time to look forward to a proper time to rest and relax here or abroad. Good and bad climate does and will affect us all and we should pay attention to it for our own good. For now, I think I am safe in saying that there is something special about summer, and everybody loves getting a little bit of sunshine.
Connecting the Dots 