Relocating from a city
with an average of 300 sunny days per year
to one where the average annual sunshine is counted in hours*
can prove somewhat difficult, especially in Spring.
*London has an annual average of 1481 hours of sunshine.
Yep, that's just 61 days per year.
![]() |
One of those 61 days in London |
Daylight
Having survived the dark British winter,
there's nothing like a little bit of sunlight to lift the spirits up.
The good news: with an average of 15 hours of daylight,
spring in the UK is all about bright mornings & late nights.
The bad news: all this 'sunlight & bird chirping from 05:30 am'
will mess up with your kids' sleep.
They'll be waking up at 06:00
and refuse to go to bed before 22:00
{Look, mummy, it's still day outside}.
![]() |
One of those 304 days in London |
Elements
On a beautiful April morning,
wearing your new summer dress and canvas pumps
would seem like an obvious choice, right?
Yes, if you want to take an {April} shower in the street
and rush home all soaked up.
The good news: Spring will give you sunshine.
Sometimes for days on end,
sometimes with soaring temperatures.
The bad news: it's a rule.
In England every hour of sunshine
gets repayed with one day of rain.
And cold.
![]() |
Bluebells |
Spring in London
There's no denying that Spring
brings out the best in London.
Flowers are blooming everywhere,
London parks are more stunning than ever,
and Londoners have a permanent smile on their face.
The good news: now is the perfect time
to go for long walks and yummy picnics in the park.
The bad news: it smells of burnt everywhere.
Londoners' passion for barbecues,
means you cannot open your windows
or have that al fresco dinner in the garden
without smelling like charred meat.
Oh, well, I guess we can't have it all.
~ ~ ~
Read More
This is spot on! We do love a BBQ as soon as the sun shows its face. Great post lovely x
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jess!
DeleteI like a good BBQ too, as long as my house & hair don't smell like grilled sausage :)
This made me smile. Ah, I do remember the Great British Spring and the relentless enthusiasm for BBQs... When we went back in April we were utterly freezing but our friends still put one on! I do miss that positivity though - the Italians spend all of spring moaning about how it's too wet (it isn't), too windy (ha!), too cold at night (thank GOD we can still sleep without sweating).
ReplyDeleteThey are very enthusiastic about their BBQs, yes!
DeleteItalians are like Greeks; they have the best climate on Earth, but still find ways to complan about it :)
Uh oh. Have you ever been to Scandinavia? Talking bout long dark winters and messed up sleeping patterns in spring and summer. It NEVER gets dark. I've got no idea yet how I am going to get the kids to sleep...
ReplyDeleteOh, I guess that's going to be challenging.
DeleteOn the upside, you'll be able to put them to bed from 17:00 in winter ;)
It's interesting to read it from your point of view. I hadn't thought of bbq's that way at all - whenever I smell the burned pork I get excited and start charring some myself! I guess that's a symptom of the paltry (and very depressing) 1500 hours of sunshine. I so want to emigrate!
ReplyDeleteYou must be right, that would explain the number of smoking gardens on a warm day :)
DeleteFabulous post!! Jo'burg has 9 months of summer and strangely enough, our sunniest, driest days are in winter (the wettest month falls in the middle of summer!). I've come to embrace 4 seasons and even look forward to autumn and winter in the UK but I love nothing more than a warm, sunny, dry day in London.
ReplyDeleteBest quote ever: it's a rule.
In England every hour of sunshine
gets repayed with one day of rain.
And cold.
Yes, nothing beats a warm, sunny DRY day in London! Thanks, Emm :)
Delete