OpinionI longed for cooler weather in Hong Kong. In the UK, summer can’t come soon enough
- Spring in Britain is here but I still sit huddled under a blanket, feeling the cold more after years in Hong Kong. My first monthly energy bill was US$620
- Now it’s time for gardening, a daunting task having not done any for nearly three decades. Buying a lawnmower was almost as much trouble as finding a car
The Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year, has long passed in Hong Kong. But in wet England, we are still waiting for the seasons to change, or at least the weather.
Those of us accustomed to temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), after our years in Hong Kong, are more susceptible to the cold. I sit huddled under a blanket. My first monthly energy bill was a sobering £500 (US$620).
We have just endured England’s wettest March for 40 years. But spring is, at last, on the way. British summer time has arrived and the days are getting longer.
This is such a relief. In midwinter it gets dark at 3.30pm, a shock for Hongkongers used to 6.30pm sunsets.
Newborn lambs are frolicking in the fields. They are so cute. Lamb will be off our menu for a while.
Now, my newly acquired garden needs attention. And I am as green as the lawn. There was not much gardening to be had in Hong Kong. A little house I rented in Mui Wo came with a patch of lawn. But someone called to say they had the right to build on it!