London in July

So we've all heard of monsoon season and even the valley has had the occasional summer thunderstorm. However. Pause. [Setting the scene] This last Tuesday, July 3rd, I am on the phone with a bakery in Los Angeles discussing square tiered versus round tiered. It's about 5pm London time and while on the phone, I'm standing by the window just watching that giant black cloud on the horizon. Anyway, just as I'm about to tell the woman on the phone my unique position of ordering wedding cake from 5000 miles away, the sky lets loose this fat burst of thunder, like a cosmic whoopee cushion. There's a moment of embarassed silence on the line. I finally say, sorry about that, we're having a thunderstorm. Obviously, she blurts out, 'Where are you?!' Where am I, indeed. The wilds of Fulham where this mad maelstorm explodes over our heads and besides flashes of lighting that are soooo clear you can count the zigs before they zag, nickel-sized clumps of hail start pelting the windows. I'm running around closing windows and marvelling at the fury of it all. Marvel turns into awestruck as it continues for longer than a few minutes (we're used to short bursts of weather this pond-side) which in turn, becomes fear. I am dialing my old man's office line and for effect, I open the window and have to shout over the storm, leaving an atmospheric (bah dah bum) message on his voicemail. Me, hysteria, and the elements! He calls back and totally doesn't belive me. Thinks it's the Californian in me that's nervous of a widdle wheather. And so, like any self-respecting independent woman, I bust out the webcam and run from window to window, documenting the demented whims of the Fulham sky. Anyway, so here we go. Remember, this is July 3.

That's taken from our 'lounge' window and is Ryecroft Street. Look at the twee little cars! And the sheets of hail.

The garden behind our building (belongs to the ground floor flat..we're the attic flat)...even the resident pigeon had to flee.

From the hallway window, the Wandsworth Bridge Road....

My favorite, as two firetrucks go screaming and splashing by, as if at this damp point, anything could even spark to flame!

By the way, this is only after a 20 minute storm...look at the pretty mailbox and the

girl taking photos on the corner, in shorts!

And just to give you a thrill, double decker action to the deux...I think buses had to pull over

during the storm, because none came through during and yet after, backed up deckers.