We have sunshine! Grab it while it lasts

The North East of England isn't noted for its fine weather. The weather isn't as bad as people make out, but there certainly isn't enough sunshine on average. Like much of the country, the North East is bathed in sunshine today. The fact that we have a lot of sun, almost nothing in the way of clouds and no cold breeze off the North Sea makes a pleasant change. The world is a much better place when it is like this. But the forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow and then drizzle over the rest of the weekend - typical for a Bank Holiday weekend.

The North East is placed where the cold of the Arctic Air hits us first and hits us hard. We are the last place in England to get the end of Winter and the last to see the start of Summer. We are at the end of the queue when it comes to phenomena like the one we are currently having - warm air being dragged up from the Mediterranean. So it is little wonder that people in this part of the world have hardened to the cold and bask in the slightest amount of sunshine.

All it takes is some sun, not any heat in particular, to get people in their shorts, walking around instead of driving and getting the barbecue on. And I like that. People that embrace all that they are given are always alright in my book. The fact that British like a moan about anything and everything hasn't escaped this part o the country, but the moans are one thing, while the activity is another. You see people interact with the great outdoors here in a way that I haven't experienced in others parts of the country when I have lived or travelled there. They get out to walk the dog, get on a bike or go for a run in the rain, the sleet, the wind and the snow. I suppose if you have no choice bit to deal with the elements then you find a way to get on with it.

I have just been writing a book for someone that practices cold exposure as part of his life. This means a cold shower in the morning, a regular dip into an icy lake and a general connection to the cold. He grew up in the Ukraine and it was rare that they had hot water, so the cold exposure that he uses now in adult life I suppose comes naturally to him. I can see parallels to this life and the people of the North East.

We know that the cold is just around the corner. The warmth that we are feeling today won't last forever so the people around here drain as much as they can from it. The beer gardens will be filled until closing time and the air will be thick with the smell of half-cooked burgers and chicken that is dangerous to eat. Mixed with a few beers, there will be a lot of upset bellies in the morning, but it will all be worthwhile!

The language in the North East is loud and constant

The language in the North East of England is as colourful and vibrant of the different dialects of the United Kingdom. Certain phrases can be inpenitrable when you first arrive but they grow on you and many have a certain charm. I'll take at individual phrases in another later blog as it's the communication that interests me in this edition. It may seem strange to split the two but there are two distinct things happening here. Language itself has many different facets and the part of language that uses no words is often quoted as carrying the majority of the communication message.

Upon moving to the North East of England, for the first few months my family and I thought that there were far more arguments here than in other parts of the UK. Raised voices and what sounded from a distance as aggressive conversations had me believing that people were often at each other's throats. If you add to this either minimal body language or quite animated body language then you'll probably believe that there's trouble brewing. North East inhabitants tend to have one or the other of these traits - either wildly gesticulating as they are talking or talking loudly with no real body language and both can have quite a disconcerting effect on the uninitiated.

It takes a little while to get used to the volume of life here. People shouting across the street at each other would pass as trouble brewing in many parts of the country but it's usually a friendly gesture here. Starting a sentence or conversation with a loud "Now...." seems odd to most of us but is actually commonplace in North East parlance. And volume is here in cafés, shopping centres, restaurants, pubs, the streets and homes. Communication happens at high speed and high volume and it all adds to the vibrancy of this part of the world.

You don't have to be afraid of the way that people speak. If you think that there is an argument going on then wait a few seconds to see what is being spoken about. I will bet you that it isn't an argument at all but just two people speaking in their normal voice.

And it isn't just the way that people communicate but the words that they use that will catch you off guard if you are not from this part of the world. If you thought you knew English then spend a little time in the North East and you will find a whole new vocabulary that you had no idea existed. In fact there are dictionaries available that will help you navigate ordinary daily conversations that you might have.

Three phrases in particular have really go me and I'll give you a quick run-through of these here.

"It's hoying it down"

This actually means that it is raining heavily. I love this phrase as it captures the insensitivity of the rain shower for me. I like to use this as often as I can. Even when it isn't raining.

The word "hoy" can also mean to throw, as in the phrase "hoy me that pencil" so you can start to seethe origins of the phrase.

"Ket"

This is a word used to mean sweets or candy. Ket is the general phrase that covers all of the sweet things that kids shouldn't be eating.

"Boils my piss"

I love and hate this phrase in equal measure. It means to make someone very angry. If you have done something to upset someone in the North East then you could be said to "boil their piss."

I love the anger that goes with this but I also have the image in my head that makes me dislike the phrase too. I most often hear it from working class people and I've never had the inclination to research if it is used in other parts of the country. I'd love to hear from you if it is.

See why wearing a coat will probably mark you out as an outsider

No blog on the North East of England would be complete without a mention of the weather. Yes, it's colder, wetter and windier than most of the rest of the United Kingdom and definitely more so than the rest of England, although the North West may challenge it on the rain front.

The arctic wind off the North Sea is what changes everything for me. It literally transforms whatever other weather conditions already present. For example, a cold winters day of around 5 or 6 degrees centigrade feels like minus 5 or 6 when the wind factor is added. On a cold wintry day the wind does feel as though it is blowing straight through you. Even in the Summer, when the wind off the North Sea is present it can quickly become coat weather.

But this is where the people of the North East differ from everywhere else I've been  in this country, indeed everywhere else I've been in the world. What you or I would consider cost weather barely raises a jacket in North East England. Walk through the local town centre on one of these minus-5-or-6-feeling days and many of the men will be wearing just a t-shirt and maybe a pair of shorts; the women often in a short-sleeved top. You definitely feel and look like the visitor from Outer Space as you walk around in a coat.

The next level is a trip to a football match for one of the local teams - Sunderland, Middlesbrough or Newcastle United. There will be thousands upon thousands of fans at the stadiums throughout the winter months wearing only the shirt of their favoured team. The weather can be frightful, the fans can have walked miles to get to the match but week in, week out the required outfit is a football shirt.

I went to university in another northern town, North West this time, and in my halls of residence I became friendly with 2 guys from the North East. One was from Newcastle and the other from a small town near Northallerton. We walked a long a cold, rainy and windy January seafront one night, about two miles to a pool bar further into the town centre. Being North Easterners, my friends wore their standard uniform of jeans and a t-shirt. When we got to the pool bar there were bouncers on the door (it was that type of town) and they stopped us.

"Not really dressed for it, are we boys!"

"Oh. We didn't realise there was a dress code."

"There isn't. It's just that it's bloody freezing and you two are wearing t-shirts."

And for me, this exchange sums up the North East, weather and clothing.

Temperature figures

The North East of England is noted for it's weather, usually as some sort of insult from those that live in the South. The temperature figures show a few differences but nothing life-altering. I've taken these figures from the Met Office website (what else have they to do now the BBC won't be using them) and you can search your own UK places here - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/

I've used London and Newcastle as being indicative of the South East and the North East, although London figures will always be slightly skewed due to the size of the city and the activity levels.

London

Month	Max. temp (°C)	Min. temp (°C)	Days of air frost (days)	Sunshine (hours)	Rainfall (mm)	Days of rainfall >= 1 mm (days)
Jan	8.1	3.1	6.6	44.7	41.6	11.4
Feb	8.6	2.7	7.6	65.4	36.3	8.5
Mar	11.6	4.6	2.8	101.7	40.3	9.8
Apr	14.6	5.9	0.8	148.3	40.1	9.0
May	18.1	8.9	0.1	170.9	44.9	9.2
Jun	21.0	11.8	0.0	171.4	47.4	7.4
Jul	23.4	13.7	0.0	176.7	34.6	6.3
Aug	23.1	13.8	0.0	186.1	54.3	8.1
Sep	20.0	11.4	0.0	133.9	51.0	8.6
Oct	15.5	8.8	0.4	105.4	61.1	10.9
Nov	11.3	5.8	2.7	59.6	57.5	10.9
Dec	8.4	3.4	7.6	45.8	48.4	9.5
Annual	15.3	7.8	28.6	1410.0	557.4	109.4

Newcastle

Month	Max. temp (°C)	Min. temp (°C)	Days of air frost (days)	Sunshine (hours)	Rainfall (mm)	Days of rainfall >= 1 mm (days)
Jan	7.2	2.2	5.9	61.1	45.5	9.8
Feb	7.3	2.2	6.1	81.6	37.8	7.6
Mar	9.0	3.3	2.6	117.7	43.9	8.7
Apr	10.3	4.8	0.7	149.9	45.4	8.2
May	12.7	7.2	0.1	191.7	43.2	8.3
Jun	15.6	10.0	0.0	183.0	51.9	8.7
Jul	18.1	12.3	0.0	185.7	47.6	8.6
Aug	18.1	12.3	0.0	174.9	59.6	9.2
Sep	16.1	10.4	0.0	141.1	53.0	8.1
Oct	13.2	7.7	0.1	106.2	53.6	10.7
Nov	9.7	4.9	1.7	70.4	62.8	11.6
Dec	7.4	2.5	6.5	51.9	52.9	10.1
Annual	12.1	6.7	23.6	1515.0	597.2	109.5

There are differences, but they are subtle. Annual Average Maximum temperatures (daytime) are 3.2 degrees warmer in London, and Average Minimum Temperatures (nighttime) are 1.1 degrees warmer. Over the course of a year, London receives 105 hours more sunshine than Newcastle but only 0.1 days less of rain. One areas of real surprise was that Londoners experience 5 days a year more air frost than the inhabitants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne - which may well explain the t-shirts that Geordies insist on wearing all year round.

Wear what you feel you need to keep warm, but be aware on a visit to the North East of England that if you wear a coat then you'll probably be in the minority.