Top 10 fantastic things about British weather

Day 41: Gosh this has got to be one of the worst British summers ever. For those of you reading this outside of the UK, it's been raining on and off (and mostly it's been on) since the end of May. We.ve barely had two consecutive days of sunshine and the temperature is rarely above 21°; which may be a tropical paradise if you live in the snow wastelands of the Arctic, but not if you were expecting to be walking around sleeveless in shorts.

I knew this would happen. Back in April/May when we were having weeks of endless sunshine and record temperatures, the tempters- of- fate were complaining about “the drought”. I recall thinking "That's it, go on jinx the weather; I bet summer is going to be rubbish " AND IT IS!

I hope that it doesn’t rain on my birthday as my party is supposed to be outside in the garden. There will be a gazebo, however if it rains like it's been raining lately, I'll need to construct a brick extension to my house in order to protect my guest from the driving monsoon like rain typical of this summer’s weather.

We British are known for complaining about the weather – that's because there's so much of it and it dictates the nation's mood. If it's hot and sunny no news is bad news. I'm sure the government's press office plan their media strategy in conjunction with the Met office:

"The cabinet has decided to scrap the National Health Service altogether – what's the weather going to be like? 28° in the shade, excellent: Minister let's go live with the announcement". So long as it was hot and sunny, most people probably wouldn't even notice the headlines. They would be too busy exhibiting various parts of their uncovered anatomy along the streets, in the parks and on the beaches (oblivious to the fact that their clothes were performing the very useful function of keeping their excess skin and fat from spilling out onto the pavement). Those that did notice would simply smile and say “oh well, but at least it's sunny”!

The opposite is true if the skies were grey. There's nothing quite like a grey damp overcast day in the UK. It is as if the Dementors from Harry Potter have escaped into reality. For those who have managed to completely avoid exposure to the Harry Potter multibillion pound industry; the Dementors are creatures that suck out your soul through your mouth and whilst it is happening, apparently you feel like you will never be happy again!

When it's raining, even popular governments (two words that have not been heard together in the UK for years) are booed for announcing good news.

Government: "I'm pleased to announce that the basic rate of tax will be cut to 0 immediately"

Nation: "so what it's raining!"

So I've decided to break with tradition and rather than continue to moan about our weather, or more specifically the rain, I’m going to treat you to my top 10 fantastic things about British weather:

10. It makes planning outdoor activities easy – you know it's going to rain!

9. The countryside is a beautiful green colour, unlike places where it is hot and sunny all the time and the landscape is a sandy dried out desert.

8. It’s great for ducks.

7. It has rescued many a failing English cricket team from a test match defeat (a.k.a Rain stopped play)

6. Gardeners love it. (People who don't like gardening also love it because most of the time they've a great excuse not to go outside.)

5. School children who dislike sport love it – the frequently heard words "indoor/wet play" are music to their ears.

4. It’s great for stopping riots.

3. It’s cold and snowy at Christmas time, which is how it's supposed to be – you’ve seen the Christmas cards.

2. The gathering storm clouds create the most wonderful sunrises and sunsets.

1. It keeps hundreds of people at the Met office and in the umbrella industry employed.

So there you have it, 10 good reasons to stop moaning about the British weather. Are you one of those people who is always moaning about the weather or do you never talk about it? What would be in your top 10? I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.