It’s Hot
London has been basking in constant sunshine these past days. The newspapers are full of advice from foreign correspondents on staying cool in the heat and reminders to carry water on the tube. It really is unberably hot if caught underground or in the sunshine. But it’s still nice, it really feels like summer. People are wearing summery clothes (not very much at all) and the ice cream sellers are having a field day.
I spent today applying for two jobs, one of which I might actually get and one of which I would be thrilled to be interviewed for. There are ridiculous amounts of applicants for every place these days though so to stand out you really have to do something extraordinary (or know the selecting committee). I was planning a quietish evening of packing, since early in the morning I’m boarding a plane to go to Spain for a week with a bunch of friends. I’m really looking forward to that, I really feel like I deserve a complete disassociation with the city I’ve studied in for the last three years (as much as I love it).
But plans are prone to change. A friend of mine from Helsinki phoned, asking if I’m free for tonight as he was done with his work commitments down in Guildford. I immediately agreed, putting the packing on hold (I mean how much packing do you need for a week on the Costa Blanca? T-shirts, swimming trunks and underwear mainly) and headed down toward where his hotel was. Soon enough we, having been joined by another friend, were enjoying the hot evening with cool drinks bought from the Marble Arch Sainsbury’s. My hat is off to my friend who said that he could treat us “locals” due to his business trip pay.
I remarked that it was pretty neat sitting near Speaker’s Corner having a relaxed beer, and that my friend most probably wasn’t envisioning doing that still on Monday night (I certainly wasn’t). I mean, I’ve said it before but having friends over makes you appreciate the “coolness” of London. People from abroad know Hyde Park. For me it’s often just another green patch in central London that I tend to treat as the western boundary of my usual stamping ground.
Eventually, well past 11pm, I arrived at home to find several of my housemates in the garden finishing up a barbecue with some friends. It was a pleasant surprise, and made home seem even more homely. The music was on and there were even some leftovers (which I took advantage of). Then I proceeded to ram some things into my little suitcase. No doubt I’ll forget something. Let’s just hope it’s not something like my passport or other serious things. I’ll be back in a week, hopefully rested and ready to tackle all this again with renewed vigour.
Sometimes London is really nice.