British Summer

One of my co-workers out here asked me how I liked the British Summer. Confidentially, I see little difference between the British Summer and the British Spring. Or the British Fall or Winter for that matter. The seasons here all seem to run together. They all seem to be cool (not actually cold, but cooler than one would expect at any given time) and tending toward the... shall we say... damp.

I guess the dampness is easy enough to explain, the cool temperatures are not as easy. With all the tropical plants they have here one would expect the temperatures to warmer. But I am certainly not complaining. Occasionally there is a day like today. Perfectly comfortable temperatures, relatively dry air, just enough clouds to render the sky photographically interesting, and light breezes blowing off the Thames make the day one that makes me really regret being here on business. Luckily, I can orient myself in my office so that I do not see the outside. It allows me to keep working.

The walk in this morning was quite pleasant and it gives me pause for thought. As I watched the local people rushing toward the Hampton Court Railway Station, do they appreciate how lovely the area they are lucky enough to live in really is? It is days like today that make all the rain and cool weather worth it I guess, but I just hope that they appreciate it the way a visitor does. It would be a shame if they have become jaded to the beauty around them.

This weekend I have been invited by some friends of mine to a bar-be-cue at their home in Molesey on Saturday and then I have a friend from work who is taking me site-seeing on Sunday. It is going to be a busy weekend!

I cannot believe that this trip is nearly half over! Wow! Time flies. I will be back in the states in just over a week from now. I will have to appreciate the time I have while I am here! I hope that you have a great day wherever you are and that you will take a moment out of your day to look at the beauty in your surroundings.

Take a moment out of your day to appreciate the beauty around you today!
Don Bergquist - 29-July-2005 - Hampton Court, United Kingdom