Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown It is really, really hot at the moment. In London it hit 36 ° c on Thursday and is set to continue with daily highs of 32 °c -36 °c for the next week. When I think of recent summers, there have been a few with very hot weeks, usually in July. I remember two specifically, 2013 and 2018 as both times I was rehearsing for a show which involved a lot of physical movement and rolling around on the floor, which during a heat wave, was hot work. But these are isolated weeks, the rest of those summers were typically British - mildly warm with showers. We seem to have had pretty hot weather for months. In many ways this has been a blessing. With the country in lockdown and then only allowed to meet socially outside, with less clement weather, this whole situation we find ourselves in could have been a lot more unbearable.
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Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Oh it's a bit hot isn't it? I'm not quite sure what my cat is thinking, but she insists on spending most of the day in the hottest part of the house. I've tried explaining to her that there are cooler areas she could recline in, but no, she will not listen. I appreciate that trying to reason with a cat seems like a pointless activity and to be frank on this occassion, it has proved to be so.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown British weather at its finest today. I popped over to see a friend (at a social distance of course) and as we sat outside, I had to put on some suncream as the sun was so wonderfully warm. As I left, 2 hours later, the heaven's opened and it rained torrentially for several hours. All four seasons in one day? Welcome to the UK!
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today is the longest day of the year. This is of course the day when we have the longest period of sunlight and it's all downhill from now on, a slow decent into winter. That's a little depressing isn't it? In a week that has included torrential rain and thunderstorms, it's tempting to think that our lockdown summer is over, but apparently next week is gonna be a scorcha! As the chances of going anywhere on holiday seem fairly remote, I'm considering taking the week off, erecting a cocktail bar in the garden and creating my own "all inclusive" get away without leaving the premesis. This does have its advantages: 1. No flying, passport control, packing needed. 2. I know I'll like the food and there will be plenty of vegan options - actually, what am I saying, it's a vegan hotel! 3. Still have access to all the on-demand TV I desire 4. If I don't like a book I'm reading, I have fa...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Did I fall asleep and wake up in the South of France? (I wish) It's not yet midday and already the temperaure is already 20°c plus! I'm not moaning, I love the sun but I do wonder how things might have been different if the weather had been different (how British of me). The wonderful weather for most of the past 8 weeks has been, for many, a blessing - gardens and parks being used by lots of people who more often than not, just pass through them. Also a place for the cooped up kids of lockdown to burn off a bit of energy. But it's also been an enticement - at the first sign of good weather, we Brits love to strip off, have a BBQ, get a bit drunk and a bit burnt and generally congreate with other people. Clearly this allure has been too much for many who have ignored the social distancing suggestions and done it anyway. Had the weather been more typical (18°c-20°c and cloudy) maybe...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Pinch and a (socially distanced) punch for the first of the month. I am very aware that I started this blog in March and it is now May... wow Today the weather has been mildly apocalyptic - sunshine followed by hail - going outside even briefly seems like a fool's errand. In Couch to 5k news, we have reached the point when it's all running - 5 minute warm up walk followed by 30 minutes of running (or jogging in my case). Managed our second run of the week yesterday before being drowned although I did feel I was almost going backwards at one point, I was going so slowly. And in digital-Freeview-box-recording-capacity news - we are at 17%. I am pleased.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Good Friday The weather has been absolutely beautiful recently. I find that in the UK, the Easter weekend is either gorgeous like this or flipping cold and miserable - one extreme or the other! However, the good weather has not helped encourage people to stay inside and there have been ridiculous reports of the police having to break up hundreds of house parties. I truly don't get it - literally thousands of people have died and are unwell - if there has ever been a time to be unselfish and think about our personal impact on society and the world, it's now. The best analogy I've heard is this (it's a little crude, apologies): Imagine the world is a swimming pool. Someone pees in the pool. Do you still want to risk getting in the pool? On a more positive note, here is a BAFTA winning filmmaker doing his bit: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/apr/08/bafta-winning-film-ma...