When you have spent what felt like eternity in winter sombreness, you can be forgiven to think that summer may never return. You even hold on to that last piece of bikini before thinking of shoving them back to the closet where it rightfully belongs.
And then the city hits 28 degrees. You struggle to deal with such an uncanny change in your wardrobe. Gone are knitted jumpers, in come the shorts. Forget winter colours, hello summer colours! The city lights up overnight like it has just been photoshopped. From the black, white, and grey that are London’s most prominent colours, the city dwellers step out in the brightest of yellow, orange, pink, brilliant blue and red. People laugh more, drink more, and possibly eat more (what with those BBQs)!
Now what Londoners love most when the sun breaks out is to go to the parks. Parks are to Londoners what beaches are to Australians and alfresco dining are to South East Asians.
Instead of cramming into typical London parks J and I headed down to Bushy Park, north of Hampton Court Palace. This royal park is home to an array of wildlife, formal plantations and fascinating trees. As we cruised through the ginormous park terrain from a scrumptious picnic under a big oak tree, the stroll along the Water Gardens to feed the ducks and pry on the goslings, down to Waterhouse Woodland Gardens where we entered the magical world of the secret gardens (which made J believe in the idea of heaven), there just wasn’t enough time to fill our senses with nature’s aroma and sights.
The ambience was so peaceful with rays of sunlight beaming through where water trickled down the stream. It was here that I found my place and tree, where I stared long enough to make sense of life.
On the train now back to London, the sunset is in my face and envelopes me with its balmy glow. J and I now exude such beautiful energies after indulging in nature’s best spa, from our day out in the sun.
