I record from time to time the less usual weather events that have affected me, hitherto in beautiful Ruislip but now I must switch focus to my new home in rural Warwickshire. A few warm days in September, often following a cooler period, are nothing new, indeed we have come to expect them. This week is one step beyond. It began warming up at the weekend and late afternoon temperatures have reached some 28c here, 31.5c in London, and will be at this sort of level until the end of the week. It is probably down to the jet stream, kinks in which gave us a scorching June, a cool and wet July and a fairly nondescript August. Europe, as usual, has it worse - Paris is expected to see 36c in a day or so.
It has rained so much in recent weeks that the countryside, I am delighted to report, is blooming. The fields are as a lush a shade of green as I can remember. That is, the pastures - arable fields have been harvested and are brown with a covering of whitish stalks. Huge dust clouds were blowing off one as I drove up the M40 yesterday, having had to pop back to London for an eye test.
Funny thing, returning to the place I lived for nearly 30 years, after three tranquil weeks in our new home. Ruislip seemed so much busier and noisier than I remembered. High Street was choked with traffic, and the stink of diesels and the snarl of the fast-food delivery motorbikes seemed overwhelming. Yes, there are many more shops and other facilities than are on our doorstep here but I don't really miss them. When my appointment was over and I was back on the road, it felt as if I was going home, not leaving it.
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