This Sunday marks the first day of British Summer Time, we lost an hour of sleep and gained several mm of rain overnight. Now that we're in "summer mode", everyone has taken to their social medias to groan about the windy, wet weather, exasperated about how we never get sunshine - slight exaggeration, in my opinion. Although I love being out in the sun and am ready for picnic days as much as anyone, I try to find comfort in the grey skies and wet pavements. Here's a few reasons why rainy England 'aint so bad after all...
1. Drinking tea with the window open and reading a good book.
The promise of being curled up on my bed with a mug of tea, a fresh book waiting to be read, a gentle cool breeze coming in from the window with the sounds of rain + happy birds...what's not to like? With the addition of some fairy lights to my flat, it's the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday. And as far as some nasty wind goes, um - I lived in Lubbock, Texas for 5 years so English wind you cannot scare me.
2. Not having to mess about your hair, because you're going to throw it up in a ponytail anyway.
Enough said. No blowdry no problem!
3. Chucking on the wellies and going for a squashy country walk.
While sporting a pair of wellies in the city will raise a few eyebrows - I get comments from strangers practically every time I wear mine, out in the country it's practically a requirement! A colourful pair of wellies is enough to brighten anyone's day, and you have no excuse not to jump in puddles and get that strangely satisfying sensation from stepping in a squishy bit of mud. No tip-toeing required, charge right on through the fields.
4. Spending time in museums.
If the idea of being hoarded up in your own room all day would drive you insane, it's a great excuse to whip out the umbrella and trot down to a local museum. You can spend hours roaming around the M Shed or the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for free or the ss Great Britain if you don't mind getting a bit wet on deck!
5. The smell outside when it's all settled.
You're not alone if you love the smell of rain, aka petrichor. Bristol may be a city but we're not shy of parks and greenery, I can seriously smell all the wet trees and soil from the courtyard outside my window right now.
6. Rolling fields of green and colourful gardens now have a shimmering layer of dew to them.
While London shimmers in the sun, the nitty gritty of England really sparkles after a bit of rain. With a bit of West Country bias, I think there are few things more beautiful than the rolling hills and country gardens with a fresh layer of rain. Being from an area of the U.S. that has been in a drought for I don't even know how long where all of our plants turn dusty and die, believe me when I say that the rain may put a damper on your day, but it paves the way for some gorgeous scenery later on!
You can't get all of that ^ without some showers.
Are you a rain-lover or hater? What do you do during a rainy day?
