After months spent indoors, living out some kind of Groundhog day hell during the longest lockdown period ever, Monday morning marked a positive step in the right direction as shops, salons and pubs reopened their doors in England.
As people rubbed their palms together in glee at the thought of their 11am beer garden booking, morning mop chop and first Primark trip of 2021, little did they know, the ever-changeable
British weather had other plans.
Yes that’s right, on opening our curtains this morning, many saw it had been snowing. In mid-April. A matter of days after we had a mini heatwave that saw us dust off our summer shorts. We’re officially being trolled by mother nature. The weekend was already snow-laced in parts of the North, while this morning, southern parts of
England and much of Wales have been dealt a happy hand of rain, sleet and snow, “making way for sunny intervals and scattered showers later today”, according to the Met Office. Elsewhere, it’s a mixed bag of sunny periods and isolated wintry showers.
In short: it’s bloody freezing, so it’s just as well the beer gardens have opened then for that nice, ice-cold pint. Of course after a glorious week of sunshine... it’s snowing on the day that people have booked pub beer garden spots for the first time in months. Classic English luck 😂 They’ll all be sat out in the cold regardless, let’s be honest! #lockdown#easing#snow#britishweather 🤷🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/ocxvQHUb5Y— Laura England (@Laura__England) April 12, 2021Outside hospitality opens today... pic.twitter.com/EDn1L43wc7— Hugh Osmond (@hughosmond) April 12, 20212021: "Dare you to
SNOW now beer gardens are open"UK Weather: "Okay go on then lol"2021: "Omg I can't believe you did that. You're savage."— innocent drinks (@innocent) April 12, 2021Perfect beer garden weather this morning. pic.twitter.com/JD7IPdFacZ— Benji Weber (@benjiweber) April 12, 2021Nice start to the day 😉 Bloody freezing but worth it #PubsReopeningpic.twitter.com/8W8AuUEPHA— David (VACCINATED (BOTH DOSES)) (@CamdenDave1) April 12, 2021A solid start to the new reality of outdoor dining in Cranleigh this morning. pic.twitter.com/uSSd88nHdV— Martin Bamford (@martinbamford) April 12, 2021Me sitting down with the boys in the beer garden for a pint at 2°c today. pic.twitter.com/W7mrJWWe0N— Sam Farley (@FarleyWrites) April 12, 2021For those embracing their First Proper Haircut of 2021, it’s been a similar story with freezing cold queues to get a much-needed mop chop and a nice combination of wind and sleet to make it all fluffy again afterwards.Queued two and a half hours in the snow for my haircut. Worth it to feel like myself again!— Matt Duncan (@MattDuncan89) April 12, 2021Just saw someone being served breakfast (in the snow!), a strangely beautiful sight. Also, not sure I’ve seen people queuing along the street for the barbers before. Welcome back High Street! pic.twitter.com/mT3OyFTh3f— M@ (@mattfromlondon) April 12, 2021I'm in. Queuing in the April snow for a #haircut added to the list of surreal pandemic experiences @ben_fispic.twitter.com/LfJJhOAgZ3— James Byard (@mrjimmyb23) April 12, 2021Elsewhere, outdoor fitness classes have been blighted by snow while punters queued on the high street for JD Sports, Primark and TK Maxx in the freezing cold. (Indoor shopping centres are looking very appealing right now.)Just back from an outdoor spin class in the snow 🥶 Was lovely seeing all the tables and chairs being out out around town again. Good luck to everyone opening up today (and the hardy folk going for their first coffee/meal/pint)!— Kate Bradbury (@Kate_Bradbury) April 12, 2021With lots of measures easing today, we’re expecting beer gardens and outdoor dining areas to be busier than ever. Because one thing’s for sure, nothing comes between Brits and their little pleasures – not even the weather.
Just make sure you wrap up warm if you do head out. We braved the snow but blinking freezing pic.twitter.com/OBeB15oiIf— Richard Griffin (@rgriffinskill) April 11, 2021Related...All The Covid Rules From April 12, Even Those You've Missed27 Tweets Of 'Unlockdown' Joy As Pubs, Salons and Gyms ReopenAll The Covid Rules From April 12, Even Those You've MissedGyms Are Open, But Classes For Adults Aren't. Here's When They Will Be