If there is one thing that the British are known for world-wide other than tea drinking, it is moaning about their own weather; and when they are not moaning about the weather, they are moaning about the weather forecasters. Britain enjoys a bit of just about every kind of weather going in the course of a year, sometimes all in the same month!
You never seem to be quite sure what you are going to get, the seasons are more of a ‘rough guide’ than any scientific basis for deciding what you are going to need to wear on a particular day. On a spring day you might be treated to a freak snow storm in the morning, only to see all traces of it melted away by a pleasant afternoon sun, such that it is all gone by tea time. Then there is rain. Britain is well known for wet weather, although it is worse in some areas than others. All this precipitation is perhaps not surprising seeing as Britain is a small land mass surrounded by water. It’s also no coincidence that much of the land is punctuated by significant lakes and rivers charged with the task dealing with all this falling rain. Britain has some suffered some significant droughts, especially in recent decades. But the hard truth is that, when in Britain, one has to expect rain at anytime of the day or night and during any season.
“When are we going to get a fine day?” is an expression you’ll soon start hearing during the rainy days. How odd then that as soon as the sun comes and warms this damp little island up a bit out come the sun moaners. Then all you hear is: “It’s too hot!” People moan that we don’t get much sun in the summertime and then it seems that those exact same people spend their sunny days moaning about the heat!
So why is it that the Brits are famous for talking, or even moaning, about the weather? Well, the unpredictability of the weather is a problem. When in Britain you’re never sure quite what to expect, so being appropriately prepared for the conditions can be difficult. In countries where it is predominantly sunny, they fit air condition in shops, houses and cars as a matter of course. Similarly, nations that get large amounts of snow each year prepare themselves with tyre chains, well insulated buildings and plenty of warm clothing. This is not how it is done in Britain, however. It doesn’t snow quite enough for it to be worth the investment in tyre chains and fitting air conditioning is simply asking for a long, cold and wet summer
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
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