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One of the most unpredictable and uncertain things in London is the weather. In fact it is the only thing I do not like much in the UK. Otherwise UK is such a great place to live in. By weather I mean 2 things. It is very cold in the winters and secondly, the weather is very unpredictable. When compared to the place where I come from, Pune, the winters of London are very cold. I sometimes feel its 6 months of happiness (summers) and 6 months of sadness ( winter ), lol. It gets worse when it is windy and moreover when it snows and rains. I somehow feel that the rain reduces the cold. However, when it snows the situation worsens. Off course, snow makes the surroundings beautiful but I stop enjoying the snow after sometime. That's because, if it snows heavily or a bit more than normal, the layers of snow harden by time and this is encouraged by the people walking on the pavements and on the roads full of snow. This causes the snow to harden and it turns into ice and it sometimes is as good as an ice rink. You can literally skate on the roads and pavements. The problem is that unless you are very careful while stepping, you will tend to fall around once a day. Its funny to see people losing their balance while rushing to work. And sometimes you don't have to go to work because you just can't go to work as it snows so much that the local transport is disrupted. I think this happens very rarely though. All, the major transport including tubes, buses and trains are closed. Well that could be a good thing for some people who desperately want a tiny holiday. It is very risky for the vehicles to be running on the road as some parts of the road become as good as skating grounds and braking and turning becomes very difficult as there remains no friction between the tyres and the smooth icy surface of the road. To avoid this, the relevant authorities scatter grit on the surface of the roads and the pavements. it is very effective in eradicating the ice by forcing it to melt. Grit is nothing but rock salt I guess. Sometimes grit falls short due to various reasons. One of the reasons I read was the grit being stolen. In such situations it is best that every one uses the household salt and scatter it at least on the pavement and road in front of their house. I also think that rain reduces the ice, so you may also wish to sprinkle some water on the icy roads and pavements in front of your door step. In situations when it snows heavily, it is best to stay home or indoors otherwise chances are that you might get stuck in some place on the road due to road blockages due to snow. Also it is always good to carry warm clothes, blankets and food and water, in case you have to stay in your car or somewhere nearby due to a road block because of snow.
In winters, to amuse ourselves, me, my wife and friends generally watch movies( Cineworld )), play indoor games like pool, bowling, random indoor games as the ones in Trocadero or stay indoors and watch movies indoors on the laptop or tele, cook something nice and hot etc.
The summers in London are very beautiful. I feel so happy and energetic. My body does not have to be squeezed up and rigid due to the cold. I always get good sleep due to ideal temperature and I do not have to check if I am covered totally by the blanket to make sure that cold air does not come inside, just in case the heater stops functioning for some reason, which is very unlikely though. My gas bills are comparatively low. On weekends, I feel like getting up early in the morning and going out somewhere. So I have a shower, eat something and get dressed up quickly and its so beautiful and sunny outside. But as soon as get out and lock the door and walk a few steps, I see dark spots on the road appearing from no where and the scent of rain ! Well, yes that's the problem. Rain is something that comes as per its wish. The weather here is very fluctuating. Its my mistake, I should have checked the London weather before going out :(. It is a very common thing to check weather on a daily basis to know the weather and to know if you will have to take an umbrella to work or you can do without it. If its windy, the small umbrellas generally do not help much. So, it is better to get the big or the medium ones which are strong. Its better to carry an umbrella or a windcheater always, if you can manage to do it, because sometimes, the weather forecast does not match with the actual weather on that particular day. But I think the weather forecast is usually correct. However, it is best to make a mindset of not getting frustrated in case of rain during a bright and sunny day.
If we talk about the quantity of rain, the good news is that very rarely does heavy rain fall in London. Usually it just drizzles, when it rains. I have never seen heavy rain fall here or should I say it is nothing compared to back home where it showers like hell sometimes.
Having said about the coldness and the rain, I would like to mention that if you are going to travel via a bus, tube or train or any other public transport where you have to travel a long distance, always carry a bottle of water during the summers. Well, it won't get very hot in the summers, but you will obviously dehydrate and it would eventually affect you after a while. I have seen people fainting in front of me in tubes while heading to work as tubes are pretty crowded during peak hours. The fainting thing is not very common though. However, it is best to carry a bottle of water than to feel helpless during worse situations. In fact I have heard announcements made on train stations, where it is advised to carry a bottle of water during warm periods.
There are loads of things to see and to do outdoors during the summers while visiting London. Some of them are mentioned here.
In winters, to amuse ourselves, me, my wife and friends generally watch movies( Cineworld )), play indoor games like pool, bowling, random indoor games as the ones in Trocadero or stay indoors and watch movies indoors on the laptop or tele, cook something nice and hot etc.
The summers in London are very beautiful. I feel so happy and energetic. My body does not have to be squeezed up and rigid due to the cold. I always get good sleep due to ideal temperature and I do not have to check if I am covered totally by the blanket to make sure that cold air does not come inside, just in case the heater stops functioning for some reason, which is very unlikely though. My gas bills are comparatively low. On weekends, I feel like getting up early in the morning and going out somewhere. So I have a shower, eat something and get dressed up quickly and its so beautiful and sunny outside. But as soon as get out and lock the door and walk a few steps, I see dark spots on the road appearing from no where and the scent of rain ! Well, yes that's the problem. Rain is something that comes as per its wish. The weather here is very fluctuating. Its my mistake, I should have checked the London weather before going out :(. It is a very common thing to check weather on a daily basis to know the weather and to know if you will have to take an umbrella to work or you can do without it. If its windy, the small umbrellas generally do not help much. So, it is better to get the big or the medium ones which are strong. Its better to carry an umbrella or a windcheater always, if you can manage to do it, because sometimes, the weather forecast does not match with the actual weather on that particular day. But I think the weather forecast is usually correct. However, it is best to make a mindset of not getting frustrated in case of rain during a bright and sunny day.
If we talk about the quantity of rain, the good news is that very rarely does heavy rain fall in London. Usually it just drizzles, when it rains. I have never seen heavy rain fall here or should I say it is nothing compared to back home where it showers like hell sometimes.
Having said about the coldness and the rain, I would like to mention that if you are going to travel via a bus, tube or train or any other public transport where you have to travel a long distance, always carry a bottle of water during the summers. Well, it won't get very hot in the summers, but you will obviously dehydrate and it would eventually affect you after a while. I have seen people fainting in front of me in tubes while heading to work as tubes are pretty crowded during peak hours. The fainting thing is not very common though. However, it is best to carry a bottle of water than to feel helpless during worse situations. In fact I have heard announcements made on train stations, where it is advised to carry a bottle of water during warm periods.
There are loads of things to see and to do outdoors during the summers while visiting London. Some of them are mentioned here.