There’s one thing I really look forward to during summertime, and that’s the start of autumn. That may sound like an odd thing to you, but I’m happy to say loudly and proudly that I HATE SUMMER! And here’s why;

• It’s too hot! Right now, I’m sitting in a room that’s just over 30C. Here in Britain, if it gets hot, it’s not a dry, pleasant heat. It’s a muggy, sultry heat that makes doing almost any task (walking up stairs for example) laborious. For me, I just feel uncomfortable, and this makes me lethargic and grumpy.
• Everyone’s too noisy! For some reason, whenever the sun comes out in the summer, neighbours seem to set up camp in their gardens, take a handful of anti-social pills and make a racket all day and into the night. There’s no quiet, mature enjoyment of the weather that you get on the continent. It has to be loud and alcohol-fueled.
• There’s bugs everywhere! And they bug me. Especially at night when the windows are open and they’re attracted to light. There’s nothing worse than finally getting comfortable on a muggy night, to then have a mozzie buzzing around your ear.
• I can’t sleep! A sunny day in Britain often results in cloud cover by night, which traps in the heat. This means the first hour after turning in is often spent just trying to get comfortable. If I eventually do fall asleep, it’s only because I’m exhausted by all the fidgeting.
• There’s nothing on TV! I don’t think TV companies even try to produce good TV during the summer. All the good stuff is held back for the autumn launches, causing the schedules in the summer months to be devoid of anything watchable.
• I can’t stop sneezing! I sleep in a south-east facing window. With the sun rising at around 04h30 in the summer, I’m slowly roasted in my bed for a good 3 to 4 hours before waking up, causing my nose to block up. Upon blowing my nose, it causes irritation and I sneeze for the following hour. And if it isn’t that, then the pollen will get me. My body objects to it for some reason and shows it by leaking various fluids from my nose and eyes.

I can’t be the only one. There must be others who feel the same way, surely!?

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• personal
• weather
• opinion

It’s now been over two months running of almost autumnal weather here in the UK. Give or take a few days here and there, Summer hasn’t begun yet at all. Last Friday, a massive weather system rolled over central England dumping double the monthly average of rain on the area in less than 24 hours. Flooding has been the obvious result. At the moment, 350,000 homes are without clean water, thousands are without electricity, hundreds of people are currently living in emergency shelters. One county ran out of emergency services and the military had to be called in (almost unheard of in Britain). There are queues in supermarket car parks as people start to panic-buy groceries and bottled water.

The excess water is now making it’s way down river and the government is warning the worst is yet to come. Parts of my town centre is likely to flood later this evening.

Update: 24 July 2007

Just been down to The Embankment in town where flood levels have peaked. We didn’t get anywhere near the same volume of flood water as others in other parts of the country. Unfortunately however, the only death to come of these floods did happen here. We arrived minutes before a body was dragged from the river.

Other photos can be found on Flickr.

This post will be updated if or when there’s something new to report.

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• unitedkingdom
• flood
• weather