Are you in season?

The weather is the great British past time and the hottest gossip subject. It is a great icebreaker amongst strangers and apart from the government of the day, is blamed for everything that goes wrong in Britain. Charles Dudley once remarked (the statement is wrongly attributed to Mark Twain) that the "trouble with the weather is that everyone talks about it but no one does anything about it". This is not quite correct.

The government has tried very hard to make it a less-polluted city!! There are now air-pollution controls as a result of which the fog that once blanketed the city has all but disappeared. On a hazy day however, you can see the effects of car exhaust fumes rising in the horizon like a bad omen over this ancient city.

Often, you can experience all four seasons in one day and this makes this city a most interesting one to be in. It is however, a big myth that it always rains in London. You could be forgiven though for thinking this, as it is more likely to rain than shine when you arrive. Besides, the contrast is markedly so if you come from a hot and often dry country.

A typical forecast for London would predict scattered clouds with sunny periods and showers, possibly heavy at times. Summer temperatures usually stay below 78F with some notable exceptions although something strange has been happening in recent times. Temperatures do not drop below 35F either in winter making it both pleasant and annoying depending on your point of view.

Here, we consider chilliness wholesome and would usually keep room temperatures about 10F below the comfort level for most people. Although, if the truth be told, this owes more to our fear of high gas bills than any love affair with the cold weather. Still, we do try to style it out, laden with our woolen outfits.

Of course, if you are really bothered about it, you can dial from the US, 1-900 weather and dial the four letters of the foreign city e.g. London for the current weather forecast. Chances are you won't bother. Just dress like the rest of us and you will soon be in the swing of things.

Holidays. Yes! We do have some of them every now and again.

There are not nearly enough days off work and Londoners work far harder than is considered necessary in Europe.

In England, public holidays include New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (first Monday in May although it does no longer have its hold on the public), spring and summer bank holidays (last Monday in May and August respectively, Christmas and Boxing Day (December 26).

On these days, the public transport system operates reduced service and the banks and government offices are shut. Some in the private sector also shut and life in the city takes a more tranquil pace. If the weather is great, there is usually a long procession of sun and sea worshippers weaving their way through the winding straits of the M25 motorway to the seaside. It usually doesn't work very well.