Please remind me where you live in relation to London; also do you happen to know your latitude? We are very close in latitude to London, and both are gardener’s paradises pretty much, for flowers, bushes and trees, especially. We can grow a lot of nice vegetables up here, but need more warmth for pepper, chili’s, eggplant, melons, and such.
SIL is an atmospheric scientist and did an interesting comparison of Seattle’s weather, as compared to London.
I’m approx 200 miles northwest of London - near the city of Manchester.
We have a good climate for the UK. There’s rarely been a frost in recent years but we do get quite heavy rainfall. I think it’s being on the edge of the metro area. We get the warmth from the city (London is excellent for that apparently) - I know that even a handful of miles further out, there can be snow in winter.
Means I can grow a wide range of shrubs and flowers but I don’t have space to grow fruit or vegetables. I do grow herbs though - thyme, bay, marjoram, mint, sage, fennel and chives - the rule is that they have to be perennial, be decorative and be useful in cooking.
You might like this old “view from the kitchen window” that I started on Chowhound some years back. My view is obviously the OP - and things are pretty unchanged. You’ll recognise some contributors to the thread - we had as much fun there in those days, as I do here now.
The UK has much going for it in terms of climate other than latitude. What we generically call the Gulf Stream starts with a northbound current along South America, a meander through the Caribbean, a loop in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Current, up the US East Coast before it tips over at 31°30’ (about) and heads for Europe. All that warm water is why the UK has such mild weather for such a high latitude. That’s why Brits have lovely roses and can mow their grass so short.
The ocean current across the Atlantic has shifted a good bit South over the last few decades. The importance of that warm water is why the University of Delft (formerly Technische Hogescule Delft) is one of the leading centers (centres? grin) of study of the Gulf Stream. Northwestern Europe and the UK are seeing cooler winters. We see similar effects on the US/Candadian West Coast where the Northwest Passage has been open longer and longer each summer. That warmer water is causing atmospheric instability that leads to ahem interesting summer weather in the US East. Our weather is born with low pressure systems over the Great Lakes that drag cold fronts across the country.
There is plenty of room to talk about causation but change is really not subject to discussion.
Sorry to rant a bit. Sailing oceans brings little things like ocean currents and storms into one’s metaphorical living room.
I was a geography major in college and I know you know this but it’s your location on an island or continent that determines your climate rather than latitude.
Good news/bad news.
There is less congestion on Houston’s crowded freeways but those used to crawling along now have carte blanch to drive like utter fools and disobey every traffic law on the books.
Gasoline prices are really low but many thousands have been furloughed down here with more to come.
Sure. Microclimate makes a big difference. Things as simple as adiabatic winds. Ocean currents are global movers of energy (temperature). Here is a pretty picture: https://www.windy.com/-Show---add-more-layers/overlays?currents,38.989,-76.549,3
It’s all very fascinating.
I loved that! I don’t remember seeing it on Chowhound.
Oh, that was a great CH thread. My daffodils and hyacinths are still going strong, but I don’t recall seeing any croci 
A weird and warm winter and a cold and wet spring.
We still haven’t been able to open our windows . . it’s too cool and wet. Last night was hail and thunderstorms. The world turned upside down.
We have daffodils and bearded iris both going now. We had crocus and iris reticullata. Hosta is poking up and many of the other perennials. Lots of weedy violets in the lawn.
No sign this year of our crocus.
But almost all of the perennials are showing signs of life.
I actually know that too re: latitudes, climate and microclimates. I get so impressed with having a palm tree in my front yard that’s now substantially taller than my house. It blew me away that this far north, it was even possible. But I am at, or very near sea level - maybe 5-10 ft elevation at mi casa, and am close to the water. It can snow across town, but we’ll get none here.
We also like to take beach vacations in Hawaii, and go to most of the islands, depending on time of year. They have microclimates over there, like nowhere else I’ve ever been. Pretty amazing what even 10 miles north will do, time of year, and with a lot of variation, island to island. And of course the leeward or windward side of the islands is a huge factor.
Wish we’d known it sooner, but beach vacations in N. and S. Carolina in the early fall were a revelation. Could never understand how people could swim off Cape Cod either. The Gulfstream, as my Bostonian hairdresser told me, as well as @Auspicious helpfully reminding me of it also.
Our waters here on the left coast are COLD, but of course, we get warming air currents. A barracuda was even found recently in our cold, deep waters, most likely due to climate change.
BTW, the resident palm tree, a Mexican Fan Palm survived a severe ice storm about 25 years ago, when it was only about 2 feet tall. It was planted close to our house, which helped, but we also covered the base of it as well as possible, with plastic, burlap and blankets. The Windmill Palm in the back did not survive. We lost power, heat and water, for about 48 hours too, as a couple family members were recovering from the flu, and I was pet sitting a bird, as well as caring for our cockatiel. Turned on the gas fireplace, let it burn constantly, placed the bird cages a safe but close distance to the heat. Heavy blankets on their cages. We had to layer up and congregate by the gas fireplace, huddled under down comforters and heavy blankets. Thank god for our gas stove and ability to cook. BTW, we all survived, including the birdies.
I know many cities are doing this worldwide, including Dubai, but our iconic and beloved space needle, as well as skyscrapers, bridges, and the big wheel are all lit up in blue, in support of health care workers. People are opening their windows also to clap and cheer, every night at 8:00. Kid #1 can hear it from her apartment on lower Queen Anne Hill, but the younger one can’t hear it on the upper part of the hill.
I lit my glass candle holders with battery operated tea lights and put them in our front window last night. Made me feel better, even if no one saw them.
In other good news locally, the field hospital, set up in our football stadium has been dismantled and shipped to another part of the country in need. Since we were the 1st epicenter in country, we are seeing a definite tapering, but have been advised to stay home and keep up with social distancing. I’m about to go crazy, but at least the weather and blooming things are beautiful. Lots of things to be thankful for. 
We saw two toilet paper commercials on tv today and I’m thinking why? It hit me that maybe they’re expecting a big downturn in sales due to the hoarding.
That actually makes sense. If folk have hoarded, it’s not as though they are suddenly going to be using it more so, once they realise stocks are back to normal, they’ll use up the hoarding before buying any more.
Should we anticipate “best by” dates on toilet paper going forward? So many people just pitch things based on some usually arbitrary date.
Agree that folk seem bound by rules. As such, it’s somewhat surprising that toilet paper doesnt come with a “Do not re-use” warning.
I bought some on Amazon that was advertised it was “good for every day use”.
Better thna “Second user paper - a real bargain”.
[quote=“Auspicious, post:256, topic:20999”]
Should we anticipate “best by” dates on toilet paper going forward? So many people just pitch things based on some usually arbitrary date.
The Wifeacita got a couple of dozen bottles of Purell, the hard stuff, a few years ago from work because it was “expired.”
We used it all.
We’re still alive.
