195 days

On Sunday, masked up I boarded the train and travelled out of London into the countryside to attend a BBQ for 4th July.

It isn’t the first BBQ that I have been to this year, but it is the first where it didn’t rain (a lot). Earlier this year in late May I organised a BBQ in our backyard. May harks towards the end of spring here in the UK and I know you can’t always guarantee the weather, but this determined girl wants to spend as much time with friends as possible. So, with thrashing wind I lit the coals and tilted the lid on the side of the BBQ so I wouldn’t start a fire.

The day was grey and rain threatened but didn’t fall. I was feeling lucky. I’d invited my two besties and families, but as expected one cancelled and the other who is my rain, hail or shine friend put on her winter coat and we BBQ’ed in the sprinkling rain. It didn’t pour, but the wind lashed, and we were all huddled around the warmth of the fire wondering where spring had gone, or if it had even arrived.

This weekend however, the weather looked the same, but thankfully I didn’t need a winter coat. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and three-quarter trousers dressed as Rizzo from Grease (after all we’re in the UK, nearly every party I go to is dress up) I caught an overground train, tube train, railway train and Uber to arrive at my destination in Hertford. If you’re wondering it isn’t unusual to have so many changes when living in London, but the ideal is only one train or if you must only one change. I think I’d travel longer to be able to just stay on one train. But this weekend the train I would have usually caught was down (not unusual on a weekend).

Hertford (not to be confused with Hereford, which is near Wales) is a little out of London. It’s filled with large houses and trees everywhere. I always feel like I can breathe deeper when I leave London, as if there is this imaginary bubble that surrounds London and once you reach that the air becomes fresher and the grass greener. I’ve spoken to other friends about this, and they often say the same thing. For anyone who hasn’t visited London, it has a lot green spaces, but what it also has a lot of is people and smog. When you leave London, there is less of the smog and people. Blissful for a while.

Arriving at the BBQ I discovered it was already in full swing. You know that moment when everyone has found their seat and have established who they are chatting to. It can feel awkward when you walk in on your own. Thankfully I arrived with friends from work, so it was easier to enter halfway through.

I’ve never been to a 4th July BBQ before. I’ve been to several Australia Day BBQs which I imagine are very similar. Music, booze, fireworks, and food. Correct me if I’m wrong. Please, tell me your stories!

You may be wondering why a 4th July celebration (or maybe not - I’ll tell you anyway). My friends’ partner is from America and with COVID he hasn’t been able to go home and see his family, so enter 4th July BBQ in rainy England.

The BBQ was pretty low key as BBQs go. The laughter got louder with each jello shot (red and orange - I’m not sure what happened to the red, white and blue) and the fall apart pulled pork, burgers with bacon and cheese were consumed with delightful vigour. There were no fireworks or drunken falls (which always seem to happen at the Aussie BBQs I go to when someone tries to jump over something), but it was a lovely start to the BBQ season and a found memory of my last days in London.

195 days to go.

My favourite green spaces in London are:

Greenwich Park - one of the royal parks in London. Filled with majestic trees and it’s always so green. It’s also where the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) line is. Views over London at the top of the park are magic. A must visit.

Queens Park - this is one my local parks and its proximity to my friends is probably why it’s made it onto my list. It does have a lovely cafe and a silent, gentle rose garden.

Grand Union canal - there are a few canals in London, but my favourite is the Grand Union canal. I often walk from Kensal Rise (in NW London) to Paddington where there are more than a handful or delightful restaurants to indulge and enjoy the sometimes calm, sometimes lively canal. If you’re doing the walk, stop at Little Venice and walk into Maida Vale some of the best kept secret second-hand stores.

Richmond Park - I haven’t yet visited all of Richmond Park, but before I leave London, I will endeavour to lurch around it and spot the deer roaming free.