This is in russel square. In soho square closer to work at lunch today the parkette was packed, barely a scratch of grass free. I don’t seem to remember Canadians embracing outdoor weather so much, but they don’t have to put up with the same amount of abusive rain we have here . Canadians do embrace the patio though. Cultural difference. Since public drinking is not only legal but socially acceptable (perhaps even expected here) the park scene flourishes.
Right now, i’d say well over half the people here are lounging in the grass sipping on cans of beer and bottles of cider. There are even a group of 6 kicking around a football in the sun, beers of heineken in hand. It all seems so casual and carefree.
The Aussies and kiwis I work with don’t marvel in this fact, but they are from countries with similar public drinking policies and attitudes.
I wonder why I didn’t notice this as much last year. Maybe i’ve had to endure my fair share of rain to really appreciate it.
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Compare this with our experiences now that spring has sprung. A group of friends and I have been playing various sports at a local park after work the past few weeks. Every time we pull out our “water bottles” we have to do a visual sweep of the area to see if it’s safe. One day the old lady watching us will call the cops on us, I’m sure.