It sure is getting cold out.

“That’s a cool coat, you should buy it.”

I DID have many more interesting topics to discuss this week…but luckily, there was an overwhelming response (3 legitimate comments!) to last week’s memoirs, so I can save those topics for future posts! Yes, I have a new job but for fear of boring you with all of the gory details I’ll just skip to this week’s English Cultural Topic of the week:

WINTER

You’d think that by Christmas one might get some sort of winter feeling time, but now nearly one month later, I must still be in “Wow”/tourist mode, because this winter still just doesn’t feel right. Why? Well, there’s no snow and it’s not cold, of course. There have only been two, maybe three times that I have absolutely NEEDED a winter coat and even then, realistically, it was above Zero Celsius.

As addressed in earlier chapters (posts), Europe – and England specifically – is having an atypical, unseasonably warm late fall and winter. Average highs are as much as 5C warmer than normal. Temperatures are expected to remain around above average for the remainder of the winter months and predictions put precipitation anywhere from average to above average. What this means to me is temperature will be crisp, not cold (but will seem much worse) because we’ll be wet all the time…

So far I haven’t experienced typical “English winter”, which allegedly calls for unceasing, non-stop rain seven days a week. And as for sun? Don’t count on it. So, either I’ve brought good luck to the English weather, or the kooks obsessed with climate change and global warming are finally right.

Up to now it’s been bizarre not seeing snow, but I’m getting used to it – just in time for this week’s forecast, which is finally calling for (yep, you guessed it) SNOW! Temperatures are also dropping, and even with my double-glazed windows, evenings seem cold in my apartment. I haven’t seen snowfall since LAST winter – though there was snow on the ground at Christmas. Needless to say, I’m kind of excited.

As most people know, England’s landscape (in addition to weather) is pretty “blah”. Since the only mountains in the UK are found in Scotland and the only snow that falls never accumulates, Britons are forced out of their own country in search of snow covered peaks and winter fun. Many take the easy route and make it the Swiss/Austrian/French/Italian Alps, while some splurge and venture across the Atlantic to find the bigger (and apparently – though I don’t yet know first hand – better) North American Rockies.

Enter my new job. I am now officially a “Technical Sales Advisor” in outdoor apparel store. Staffed by a virtual United Nations, in a steady-paying combination of my sales experience and a love of the outdoors, I can finally make a fortune…for a highly reputable, relatively small, family-owned and operated company. So far, so good. Cool workmates, better work hours, friendly clientele and a regular income. Am I happier here? Definitely. (Plus, I got a bank account!)

Londoners, and visitors alike, flock in everyday and drop thousands of pounds on clothing, skis/snowboards, climbing and camping equipment, and other various goods; some into serious mountaineering, others just looking for beginner equipment for their first time on the slopes. I work in the clothing department (I sell tuques!) so my job is to suit the people up for their trips, which is not to say, however, that I’m well dressed. Ironically, I’m selling jackets worth more than my car and I’m teaching people about features I’ve never personally seen in action. But it’s fun. Sometimes we have friendly competitions to see who can sell the most hideous coat/combination. But certain people are more easily impulsed than others: often a “that’s a cool coat” is all it takes and some people can be in the store for hours deciding on a pair of skipants. Some people are there to look good on the hill and others are fully educated on every single possible feature and know exactly what they want before they even walk into the store. The best part about the job is seeing people happy when they leave, sometimes in the warmest coat they will ever own.

If only they knew what proper winter was like…