Summer comes in London

                                    Summer comes in London

After so long a winter with its cold and grey London begins to wake up. All the signs of summer appear as the weather begins to improve. The heat brings out a different sense in people. Soon all the winter clothes are discarded and the world begins to live in the haze of summer. The parks suddenly fill with people and they can be seen sitting in groups and talking, sitting on the grass.

Outside the cafes and bars seats that had been unused for the long winter suddenly fill up with people as all start to enjoy the summer weather. It is as if a whole curtain has been lifted and everybody starts to feel better. Life outside begins to  take on a new meaning. Sociability is enhanced and all are about meeting and speaking.

The summer speaks in the times of barbecues. These are a more recent British invention as they always used to be put off because of the uncertainty of the British weather. However in London the presence of a large expatriate community  has ensured that the barbecue is top of the agenda for the summer.

Summer is mostly about ensuring that life goes on in the spaces and the parks of London. Places like Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common regain a life of their own. The long evenings ensure that all around the word is waiting the joy of summer evenings for the chance to socialize in the great outdoors.

Summer for us of course is punctuated with days of rain and the uncertainty of the weather means a lot of plans can change at the last moment. Prolonged spells of summer heat bring out more and more people on the streets . All the summer clothes come out and people in the parks are exposing more and more flesh to the sweet sun. It is time for Britain’s love affair with the sun to start again.

Soon gardens fill up with people drinking beer and in some cases the alcoholic cocktail of Pimms number one. That of course reflects the class system as the latter is more an affectation of the upper classes. In the heady rush of socializing the warm weather speaks one of the feast times of the year in which plans are made for summer holidays. It is also as if all are finally getting their finances together again after the late winter spent paying off the Christmas splurge!