Wasn't this supposed to be summer?

It was no surprise to me that it rains alot in London. I had kind of prepared myself for that. And if I didn't, November really broke me in when I first moved here when it rained - no joke - every day. Since then, since the new year, its actually been not bad. We had a nice snow storm, biggest one in 20 years, we've had temperatures that have hit 85-90 (which, now, I really wish I could get back and didn't complain about so much), but mostly its been in the mid 70s all summer. Fine, I can stand that. I'll be in DC in August and I'll soak up all the heat and humidity I can then.

This month, however, has been a bit of a weird one. I think Mother Nature is actually bi-polar. One minute, its sunny and lovely, then a cold breeze comes through, and 5 seconds later its torrentially down pouring. Two weeks ago, it started out as a lovely day: sunny, 75-80, low humidity, awesome. Around 3 pm the sky turned legit black and the clouds opened up. In a 4 hour period we got two days worth of rain to the point where an entire tube line was closed due to flooding. You may say, oh whatever Kat, its been raining up and down the east coast all summer. Oh yes? Well, let me ask you...did it hail?? Because it did here! Who has ever heard of hail in 75 degree weather? And it was decent sized too! I stormed out of our little sales room into the main area and asked, obviously, if the world was ending because this is not normal! Everyone looked at me like I had 2 heads (a look that I am actually used to getting now). Apparently in London it ONLY hails when its "hot" outside. Seriously? This country is WEIRD!!

Anyway, I was just reminded of this because the sky has once again opened up and I think this has good chances of destroying my outfit for my "single ladies night out" that I have with a few of my girlfriends tonight. I'm really wishing I didn't wear my new flat sandals that are completely open and holey. Mother Nature and I are officially in a fight.

Little James is actually about 6'3" or 6'4"

My first week of work here I asked what was the emergency number to call in case we have a snow day.  Everyone laughed at me and said, that will never happen!  The tube and buses always run, and the most snow we will ever get is like 2 inches (except they said it in centimeters).  This week London got hit with the worst snow storm in 18 years.  It snowed 8 inches on Sunday night, and continued all day Monday.  Monday I woke up to an email from my boss saying, "We're still on for work, but if you need to work from home that's fine."  So I got up showered, got dressed and saw another email from my boss saying he was in fact crazy to think we could get into the office, everyone work from home.  All buses were cancelled, every tube line was experience disruptions except for one.  I laughed to myself and considered it a minor victory that I was right about needing an emergency phone number (because I love being right - I know, totally a shocker right?) and then I translated "work from home" to mean, check your email a few times a day.  Done!  

I turned on the tv and laughed to see the new casters saying "If you're a teacher and your school is closing, please call us and let us know.  Kids- do not try calling and saying you're the principal and school is cancelled!  We have ways of finding out if you are lying."  I'm not kidding.  I was dying.  So after laughing at the tv for an hour I headed out to the grocery store and picked up some things I needed, and on the way out of my building laughed (a little bit envious) of all the kids heading out to build snowmen.  I continued laughing when I saw adults pour out of my building with video cameras filming the snow and each other throwing snow balls in the air. Then I saw the most awesome thing ever.  A "man" (in quotes because of his lack of manhood after doing what he did) battling the snow storm with an umbrella.  The true picture of masculinity of British men.  I knew I had to take a picture of this because not a week earlier a few of my friends were talking about men using umbrellas in snow.  Yeah, I know, random.  

Anyway, the snow has melted and everything is returning to normal (kind of).  Its still snowy and icy, but the brits have seemed to adapt.  

Tonight I'm off to hang out with my Norwegian cousin who is in town for the week, which should be fun.  Sunday I'm having a traditional Sunday roast at the pub, which is a very British thing to do.  AND joy of joys...not only are Mike and Liz coming in a few weeks, but Susan and Trisha booked their flights to come in May!  Yay!  I can't wait!