Shit, its cold.
I mean, we are in for trouble. I can just feel it. The other morning when I woke up, got dressed to a Dire Straits number and eventually stepped out the door, I had no idea the snap that would hit me. It was like being smacked in the face. With a frozen chihuahua.
A balmy 0 degrees Celsius (that's 'zero').
Yes, there was frost.
Kew Gardens, about 15 km north of where I live recorded the lowest temperature for London that day getting down to -2.5 degrees Celsius.
........... And we are only in October!!!!
The weather seems to have affected the tubes already with serious problems attacking the underground. One line had to close down during service and people had to leave the train in the deep murky depths of the tunnel and walk for around 15mins to get to an exit. It is utterly ridiculous. I am not looking forward to the break downs that I have been told happen so regularly in the winter. It already takes me the good part of an hour to get to work!
The other day was chaos, as usual, and my train decided it didn't want to go to the station I needed to get to. I decided to hop on another line, thinking I was clever, and I turned the corner to find that there are also a heck of a lot of other 'clever' people in London. The place was packed. I spent half an hour wondering what train I should get on before I noticed that my original train was free again.
I jumped on it, amazed that I got a seat and it wasn't until a couple of stops down the way that I realised I was heading out to Heathrow airport, the exact opposite direction to work.
' Shit' I said, and I had to 'Terminator Run' it to get to another train. (You know the scene)
Bloody tubes.
It took an hour and a half that day to get to the glorious bright lights of work.
Oh, that's another thing. It is dark too. really dark. I leave for work in darkness. I come home in darkness. And its still daylight savings at the moment....!.....
Despite the cold and chaos, London life hasn't changed much. I'm still going to work, still inching closer and closer to the final payment on my student loan (might have a celebratory Guinness once that beast has been tamed), and still keeping an eye out for new travel destinations to head to. The opportunities really are endless. There is just too much to see in this world.
Last weekend, I went to a casino near Piccadilly Circus on the Friday after work. I didn't do too badly, up 60 pound at one stage, before inevitably losing it all on some stupid hands. How can that dealer consistently hit 21??? I night bused it home by myself at around 4am and had to wake up at 8am to head to a travel show. My head did not like that decision. Still, the travel show was fun. We caught up with Ryan and Jo there, and they broke the news to us that they are calling it a day with London and heading back to the land of the long white cloud. I was disappointed, but stoked that they figured out what they were doing. Here's hoping they find what they are looking for in Tauranga.
I have just now got back from a spot of shopping at Camden and Westfield. It was good stuff. Just being out there you can see that London is gearing up for winter events, which should subdue the miserable effect that the cold will bring on. We are looking to have a Halloween party (it is huge over here), followed by a Guy Fawkes Bonfire night located just down the road at Wimbledon Park. They do it proper here, with massive bonfires, fairground stalls, rides, and, of course, huge fireworks displays. It should be a little ripper.
Christmas time is seeing the introduction of heaps of temporary ice skating rinks, most of them located in some pretty picturesque spots; namely Hyde Park, the National History Museum, and directly under the London Eye. I am keen to get on the ice and see if I can snap both ankles at once this time. They also deck the city out with fairy lights and all that crap to add to the nostalgia. Snow is expected mere weeks from now and the whole city is meant to transform into a winter wonderland. So, I guess it cant be all that bad, can it?
Iceland is still all go in around three weeks from now. That is meant to be colder than here, so I might have to get some thermals for it.
Still, should be good.
