Life in Yorkshire: Needing the Sunshine Like a Druggie Needs Cocaine
Posted on June 12, 2009 by peacefulyorkshire
I admire British people that remain in the UK. I really do. Apart from generally being very polite in public, well-spoken and generally un-offensive, they also kindly put up with the UK weather system in a very dignified way. And probably have been doing so their whole life. I gotta give it to them, they handle the weather very gracefully. Not like me!
In general the weather up here in North Yorkshire miffs me off. I get angry at it. I blame the cloudy weather for my bad moods. I complain about it to Mr. Chill, my English man on a regular basis (I know– poor man!). I take holidays to Spain that I shouldn’t. I rant about the grey clouds in my psychotherapy sessions. I curse my seasonal chilblains. This hate I have is not going to be solved with a sunlamp, chillblain cream, or by admitting I have SAD year round. Nah, its just I hate the weather here in Yorkshire. Period. The weather and I are mortal enemies. Let’s put it this way. If you were to go back in time ‘Back to the Future style’ and put us both in the Roman Collosseum to duke it out, I would put up a huge fight and aim to kill. But the UK weather would still win.
I grew up in the middle of the desert so I need the sunshine like a druggie needs cocaine. I crave it. I bloom in the heat. Its just my Puerto Rican blood that the sun needs to run through my vains. Its just another thing about moving to the UK, you just gotta accept the weather (which I am trying, I am trying!). But that doesn’t mean I will EVER love it. Not a chance little darlin, not a chance!
Haha! This is so true!
You’re most welcome!
To be fair to the Met Office, they did say a 60% chance of a barbeque summer…. but in world of tabloid headlines and soundbites, this detail got lost!
So I suppose the best strategy was for the Met Office to sound contrite, so they didn’t sound as though they were buck-passing!
Sadly this summer is following the pattern of the previous two: Warm late spring and early summer, followed by a soggy August.
What has happened, is that the Jet Stream is right over us, hence this constantly wet weather: It ought to between the British Ilses and Iceland– so we get warm and humid air from the Azores– minus the rain.
Ironically whilst August is the warmest month, it is often the wettest for many places in the UK! We tend forget Britain is a naturally wet country, as you can’t farther than 85 miles from the sea.
According to many sources, the UK gets the equivalent of 174 days of rain of year… so that bad: Although that varies where you are in the UK; far more rain in the Western Isles than say Rutland
Yes, our weather certainly is changeable: We are at the battleground of warm/wet air from the Gulf Stream, and cold/dry air from the North Pole. Most the time the former wins; meaning we have a mild, but wet, climate.
I actually think the British moan to much about their weather. We have a temperate climate for a start: No hurricanes, no monsoons, no severe droughts, no severe ice-storms/blizzards, an absence of massive tornadoes or really destructive hail or electric storms.
OK we may not see the sun much, and it may rain half the year– but we’re pretty lucky considering the above!
Sorry this has nothing to do with weather – I’m just shocked to learn there’s another Puerto Rican living in the UK! lol I have lived here for 8 years and have never met another one… Nice to know I’m not the only one
I moved to the UK from Wisconsin with wind chills that reach -35 degrees so this seems positively pleasant to me!! lol
You know, I never appreciated English weather until I moved to Dallas, and then Chicago. As a British Airways pilot once said on our descent into Heathrow – “It’s 63 and cloudy at the moment. But then it’s always 63 and cloudy in England.”
Yes, the gray gets on your nerves, but when you live through a 100 degree five month long texas summer, or a minus 10 (farenheit) five month long Chicago winter, there’s less to complain about.
Sounds like I’d LOVE the weather
I’m from Texas. I HATE how hot and bloody bright it always is… blisters my poor pale skin and makes my eyes run…and that’s the hilarious thing. Me and my siblings all feel this way! Lol, my sister Melissa moved to Arizona and was even more miserable than she was at home… her and her husband dream of the nice weather in his home state of Washington all the time
even the english don’t like their weather…so the tanning bed doesn’t cut it?
If you grow up with this UK weather, I am sure its no biggie and you get on with it. I bet those Scots kids will be very tough!
I have so many times that quote that goes “there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes”. This clearly does not apply to me yet, a gal from the desert…. I cannot warm to that philosophy yet….. or maybe ever. As I am SUCH a sun addict. Mr. Chill and I have been reading up on moving to Spain just for this reason. Watch this space…
I loooooove the sun. I grew up in the Northwoods but I still love the sun.
I read about a nursery in scotland that takes the we kiddies out in any weather and they play and eat and everything outside all day long. The philosophy is that if you’re properly bundled up you can deal with anything. I liked the philosophy and I am sure it is developing all kinds of wonderfully resilient little Scots, but it is so damn hard to put into practice!!!
Amen to that!! I probably have it slightly easier since I’m from the Mid-west, and the cold part, too. But when summer dawn in the UK I think I actually go temporarily insane with unbridled joy and relief…
Expat mum, completely understand your point! I should have put that I like “dry” heat. A summer in Dallas could be quite sticky! I agree! Still, it would be warmth…
CInda– your comment had me laughing only because I would insist that I put on Suncream before I went in the sun beds, LOL
Hi Redlilocks,
Ohh lala another Puertoriquena living in the UK. Wowee don’t often meet someone like that on a daily basis, I know what you mean!
Nice to know you are here too!
Peaceful xx
Steve-
Well as I write this it is raining buckets! Wait it stopped. Oh, nope there it goes again!
Your comment made me laugh big style, because your approach to the weather is so, well, good-natured! You are another example of how well you handle this climate. Yes, when you put it like that, the UK weather sounds ideal. (On paper!)
Did you see last night that the Met office “admitted their mistakes” about the summer of barbecues? I’d never seen anything like it, the head of the Met getting on TV and apologizing for being so wrong. Not not saying sorry, but acting like they mislead the public. I loved the whole shenanigan.