Tuesday 20 March 2007

whatever the weather

English weather eh? You can't beat it. How is it possible to have so many types of weather in one day? One minute it's snowing so much I can't see a thing, then 10 minutes later it's bright sunshine, lovely blue sky, and I'm thinking 3 jumpers was one too many. But oh no, here come the hail stones, and the wind, in fact no, it's sunny again. It's certainly confusing the chickens! Perhaps it's global warming...


I'm reading a good book at the mo called 'Watching the English', it's all about English behaviour, and the first chapter is, appropriately enough for today, called 'The Weather'. Kate Fox, the author, thinks that we love talking about the weather so much, not because it actually fascinates us, but as a kind of 'social bonding'. The English have a reputation for being uptight and embarrassed in new social situations and saying 'cold isn't it' or 'nice to see a bit of sun' is (she says) a way of entering into conversation, we know where we stand with the weather. All the other person has to do say is 'yes I know' or 'it's been forecast all week' and you're sorted, you know where you stand with that person. And I was thinking about this, and it seems to be true.

I suppose being English myself I don't really notice how I react in these situations, it just comes naturally, so it's funny to read this book and think 'actually yes I do do that!'

I have been doing some drawings of trees today, see what you think.



2 comments:

tiffany... said...

oh! i love your tree drawings! they're so very lovely!

amisha said...

i am giggling about the weather... i love to talk about it too! perhaps it's a colonial thing, or i should have been british :)
and the trees are so beautiful!