So, I wasn't certain before, but there's no denying it now. Summer has arrived!

Woo! This end of May weather feels like August! It's warm but it's also breezy so it's not too hot. And my flatmate has finally turned off our central heating so I'm not boiling in the flat!

Oh, it's lovely. I seriously picked the right week to take off work. But my brain is so confused with this nice weather. I feel like I should be on holiday or something.

Things I want to be doing right now include:
- Eating chips on the beach with a wooden fork.
- Walking through some fields to look at some Roman ruins.
- Sitting and reading in the garden.
- Relaxing in the beer garden of an old country pub.

Unfortunately, I live nowhere near any beaches, fields, gardens or country pubs :(

But there are some summery things to do in London. Yesterday I went to Kensington Gardens with Deborah and one of her friends and we sat eating ice-cream and people-watching in the sun. Plus, I walked a long way in my new sandals and didn't get any blisters. Score!

Other things I did with Deborah included going to this bar. It's a very cool place. The decor is very retro and they played old-school jazz the whole time. Add to that the bunting on the street outside and it felt like you'd stepped straight back into the late-40s early-50s. The cocktails were cool too; they all came with fun extras, like bottles of pills to empty into the drink or exploding balloons. The one downside is that this place has no idea what to do with people that don't drink. I asked the guy serving us if they sold any non-alcoholic drinks and he looked at me as if I was mad. Not good, guys.

Speaking of bunting, it really is everywhere. It's almost impossible not to buy things that have union jacks printed on them. Even the haribo is patriotic! It's fun and quite retro to get swept up into this jubilympic madness. But, that said, there is something about excess patriotism that makes me feel a little nauseous.

For example, I started watching The Great British Story yesterday. It looks like it will be interesting and I really do like Michael Wood because he's so enthusiastic. Ugh, but the tone of the show was a little grating. No please, do tell me more about how British history is the bestest in the whole world and how we are special and amazing and... ick. Don't get me wrong, I find British history fascinating because I happen to be British myself, but I wouldn't class it as super-special and the best history in all the world. Seriously, take any people from anywhere in the world and their history will be just as fascinating! All history is interesting because all history is about people and people are inherently interesting. The British are not God's gift to the world, and it is precisely that sort of thinking that has made some of our history so unsavoury.

So, Michael Wood, I like you. I do. But can we tone down the patriotism a little? In fact, that goes to the whole country. We're not all in the BNP. Restrain yourselves.

Moving on...

Do you remember how I said I went shopping earlier in the week? Every year I seem to go shopping as soon as the nice weather appears and I buy loads of summer clothes that I then hardly ever wear because the weather quickly turns horrible and stays that way until winter :( Every year! You'd think I'd learn.

Ah well, it's still sunny at the moment, so it's still fine. Here are a couple of the outfits I got (all from New Look and H&M because their stuff is so cheap!)

Summer dress!

I like to call this one 'I AM NOT A LIBRARIAN'. (I love that cardigan. It's got rabbits on it!)

Lots of girly, flouncy stuff this time around. I honestly need to stop reading so many blogs dedicated to various girly Japanese fashions D:

Alright guys, that's it for today. I've got to go cook a pie.