Those little floating drops of liquid that fall from the sky can just dampen anyone’s spirits; effectively ruining the day. Anywhere you go grey clouds with the impending threat of showers evoke that same melancholy feeling. The surrounding environments now become miserable and our disposition changes to the negative, grumpier and moodier version of ourselves.

When I arrived in London two weeks ago, the skies were full of that typical ‘English’ drizzle – moody grey clouds painting the sky with moderate sprinkles of rain. Normally, this kind of weather would instantly depress me, but perhaps due to the excitement and euphoria of having just arrived in London, I found the entire English weather experience wonderful and lovely. This is certainly the first time in my life that I have considered rain to make my surroundings so serene and beautiful.

In Midnight in Paris, Owen Wilson, channelling the Woody Allen persona, repeatedly declares that ‘Paris is most beautiful under the rain.’ Although I do enjoy his unique perception, I have to disagree with his view: Paris is miserable under the rain. Sure, the Parisians are ushered away, leaving all these lovely facades and walkways empty and picturesque; but personally, Paris is most beautiful when the sun is shining radiantly over the city. The sun light feeds the city’s beauty and enhances its infatuating spell that ever so entices the romantic in us all.

London (or all parts of Britain as a matter of fact) is sublime under that English rain. The magical word I would use to describe Britain would be pleasant. Everything about this country is pleasant. The dreary cold weather to which I arrived in would’ve typically been dishearteningly depressing in any other country, but in Britain, it was in fact pleasantly depressing. The way the raindrops softly touch the roofs of the English suburban houses – all aligned next to each other with their symmetrical roofs and chimneys – was magical and lovely. There was a kind of serenity in the way the weather works with the English surroundings.

Will this optimistic view of the dreadful English weather last? Is it that honeymoon phase of my arrival that makes me feel this way? I personally don’t think so simply because the English rain against the backdrop of London, its suburbs and the British countryside is a divine and gracefully pleasant scene. On a faintly related note, I leave you with the 1966 Beatles classic, Rain.