Friday 26 April 2013

W = Weather



Aah the weather, us brits love to talk (and moan) about the weather. Its too cold/wet/hot windy....it’s an easy way to start a conversation.

The UK is known as having miserable weather but it’s not always like that, honestly. We tend to see a bit of all the seasons which is nice. It wouldn’t be known as the green and pleasant land without a bit of rain. The UK is surrounded by the sea, which gives it a varied climate. We never know what the weather will be like from one day to the other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next.

The second it is sunny in the UK, everyone is out and about with shorts, t-shirts and sunglasses on, mowing lawns and putting the washing outside to dry. The beaches are packed and BBQ food is sold out at the supermarket.



The BBC sums it up as:

"The British summer, it has been said, consists of two fine days and a thunderstorm."

Which I guess is fairly accurate!

In comparison, where I have moved now to Irvine, CA, the weather is nearly always hot and sunny (just how I like it). Visit California says:

"There’s one number to remember when you’re talking about Orange County weather: 70. That’s the approximate percentage of sunny days AND the average temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are moderate to hot, but proximity to the ocean brings cool evening breezes. Winters are mild with little rainfall."

Here is the current weather back home in Nottingham UK, compared to where I am in Irvine, CA:


I will miss seeing all the different seasons but I think I can live with that! I used to joke that I had SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the UK which is known as a winter depression, caused by reduced exposure to sunlight.

My favourite season is Spring because that's when my birthday is (so I get lots of pressies) and that's when all the flowers start coming out and birds start tweeting.

My artwork today is based on the seasons:



What's the weather like where you are?

26 comments:

  1. Wow, that beach is packed! I live in Florida, and ours only gets packed like that if there is an event going on.

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    1. The pic is of Brighton beach, I got it from online but it's real. I think everyone just goes a little crazy in the UK when it's sunny!

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  2. Ha! Your description of the British summer sounds like Seattle!

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    1. I might leave Seattle off my list of US places to go then...ha ha

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  3. Glad you loved San Juan Capistrano. It is my favorite mission and I love the shops all around it. It is going to be hot here this weekend which might be the best time to go to Knott's Soak City in Palm Springs. It's supposed to be 90 something there. We are in the Inland Empire where it is always hotter or colder than the beach environment.

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    1. Hi Ann, I took some amazing pics at the mission..thank you for the recommendation! I'll check out knots soak city now...90 is very hot. It seems very warm where we are, warm enough for me anyway :)

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  4. If you drive about two hours East, where I live, you'll reach the high desert of Cali, where we have all the seasons. We also have the weird variations. It will be almost 100F in the day, then close to 32F (freezing) at night. Sometimes it's extremely windy, sometimes it's still. We also get snow in the winter, but we have about 120F for about a week in the summer.

    #atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

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    1. We may have to pay you a visit sometime, it would be nice to enjoy a bit of fall and see some snow, just for a day though.

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  5. I love your artwork. Today here where I live it's mid seventies and beautifully sunny.

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    1. Hi Jen, thank you! It was mid 70s here today to in CA, whereabouts are you?

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  6. Your description of the British weather is spot on! But the weathers been okay this week and last week,the coldness is fading slightly and now I don't feel like wearing my winter coat! I would love to be in the CA weather though!

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    1. Hey Mandy, good to hear the weather has perked up a little. It is such a beautiful place to be when the sun is shining and it doesn't get dark till late. I'll miss that. CA has been a little too hot for me lately, I hate to complain though!

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  7. I'm weird. The sun gives me a headache, so I like mostly cloudy days.

    I did live in Mission Viejo for about five minutes during my college years and liked it very much. I don't remember having headaches back then.

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    1. Boo to the sun for you. Mission VIejo is only up the road so that's pretty close to me. I had to go there to get a SSN.

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  8. I have a question. How do Brits pronounce Rowena? Is it 1. Ro way na, or 2. Ro wee nah, or 3. Something different? Just curious.

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    1. Hey susie again.....it's 2. From your choices, but more just an 'e' for the middle. Just call me Row!

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  9. If you want to see more seasons in California, just go about an 1 1/2 to the mountains. Its beautiful and so is Northern California where skiing is great!
    KaTy Did at: Life's Ride As I See It

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation KT, we definitely need to explore more.

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  10. Nice to read about weather in Britain. As far as the weather as conversation starter, it's the same here. When we don't know what to say, talking about the weather seems a good start, even if we don't have much change in climate.

    Silvia @ Silvia Writes

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    1. I guess it's a universal thing, why is that?

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  11. Lovely representation of the seasons in your artwork. The weather in Colorado is crazy, thanks to the mountains. 75 one day, 13 and snowing the next. Oregon and Washington seem similar to the UK climate, and I lived in Oregon for several years. I miss the rain, as we don't get much here, it being high desert. When it does rain, it's SO cold!

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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    1. Thanks Shannon! Your weather does sound pretty crazy, that doesn't help much when deciding what to wear each day :)

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  12. Lovely artwork as usual. Living in a deserty land, I am hating summer.. its so damn hot out here. And no rains too.

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    1. Thanks Me, it is nice to get a tiny bit of rain...not much though!

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  13. I know I'm late to this post but I love your artwork for the seasons! As my buddy Mandy said, the weather has been much nicer lately and last weekend, particularly Saturday, was glorious! Spring has FINALLY arrived :)

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    1. Hi Laura, glad to hear the weather is perking up for you in the UK...it's about time :)

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