come rain, come shine; hurricane predictions in the UK...

Ah, the weather, it's a national obsession for us Brits and there's plenty of it to keep us (pre)occupied. If ever you should sense a gap in the conversation with a Brit just say: "what strange weather we're having", or any other weather-related phrase, and the conversation will take-off again, like a rocket.

The build-up to and predictions of yesterday's storm/'hurricane' were massive and for many potentially fear-inducing. For most of us the warnings and anxiety were probably far worse than the day itself. Yes, trees and plants did a merry dance and swayed quite manically; there was lots of rain but mostly we came through unscathed, although windswept and sodden. Today seems more damaging though... it's not a relaxing sight to see fence panels or trees swaying back and forth, threatening to collapse.

The floods of last summer were something else entirely. Almost endless rain, gloom and relative chill. Truly horrendous and life-changing for those that were flooded-out and unpleasant for pretty much everyone. Last summer was a complete misnomer: 'sogger' would have been a more apt description.

So, I have to warn you, if you have never set-foot on the shores of our little island, woe betide if you should visit when it is almost anything other than a mild, dry day. If you are using any form of public transport be prepared for delays and potential chaos and mayhem. In autumn, the trains come to a halt because there are 'leaves on the line'; if the summer is warm then the rails get too hot; rain - at any time - slows things to a grind. A mere few millimetres of snow - well - don't even think of getting anywhere...

Still, we are a philosophical lot, us Brits, and we tend to knuckle-down and get on with it. Picture the two weeks of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in June and July. Almost a total wash-out in 2007 (and in many a year) but we got through them, on time, and if you were lucky enough to have a ticket, you waited optimistically as the skies opened, hoping the players would appear on court rather than Cliff Richard in the stands...

Conversely, I have to confess I don't enjoy the grey skies of winter; my senses and general mood definitely revive and lift when the sky is blue and there is plenty of natural light. Spring is almost here and the days are getting longer - yay- all the more time to enjoy London's great and diverse offering and all the good things that the country and nature has to offer us.