Peter Dench ,     Peter Dench’s very English obsession The Weather Please note:   Life Force magazine is greatly supported by you looking at our advertising which is free to view. In 1758, Dr Johnson remarked, "When two Englishmen meet their first talk is of the weather." This pleasant exchange would serve as and ice breaker for the further sharing of pleasantries, topics and perhaps even a joke.” Centuries later, the English continue to talk about the weather, and stoically go about their business determined not to let a downpour spoil their day out. Rain Wimbledon Tennis fans watch the previous days play on an electronic screen. A couple return to their flooded home in Kent. Two visitors to Somerset House on the Strand in London, a major arts and events venue, wait for a music concert to begin. Snow falls on a man advertising theatre tickets by a subway to Piccadilly Circus underground station in London. Visitors to the paddock during Ladies Day at Royal Ascot race course. A couple walk along England's longest pier at Southend, Essex. An appropriately themed umbrella in use on Derby Day at Epsom. Visitors to the Epsom Derby horse race festival attempt to keep dry using newspaper and plastic. A couple enjoy a lunch time view across the English Channel in Hastings, East Sussex. Summer English summers have never exactly been glamorous. For much of the Twentieth Century, a glorious summer’s day was the perfect excuse to wear a knotted handkerchief on your head, stride around in plus- fours, eat whelks and slowly turn pink in the face. Today, the nations summer months are bursting with events: festivals, regattas, country-house concerts, sporting fixtures, jollies and jamborees, yet many of the faces seem disappointed, as though they are not having the marvellous time they expected or think they deserve. A man holding a can of high strength lager carries a baby on Blackpool promenade. The city has been attracting visitors ever since 1735, when the first guest house opened. In the 19th century, it became a popular working-class destination among the English. A man in a white shirt smoking a cigarette walks past a large photograph of Fish and Chips with mushy peas in a motorway service station car park on the M6. A woman with a plastic glass of champagne talks on her mobile phone at the inaugural British sand polo event on Sandbanks beach. Sandbanks is a small dune on the south coast in the county of Dorset and one of the most expensive places to live on the planet. A couple share a passionate kiss in front of Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire. One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists believe that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC. Three Muslim men chat on a bench as a Cobb's horse parades through the Oxfordshire town of Banbury as part of the annual hobby horse festival. An elderly man sat with a woman takes off his trousers in the shadow of Blackpool Tower. Two boys wearing blazers in the colours of their rowing club watch the racing on the river Thames at the Henley Royal Regatta. The Regatta is one of the premier events of the English summer season. A Knickerbocker glory is served in an ice cream parlour and cafe on Scarborough sea front. The elaborate ice cream sundae is served in a large tall glass. First recognized in the 1930s the desert contains ice cream, jelly, fruit and cream. A man with a hot dog watches Morris-Women perform in Banbury town centre. Soldiers from the mounted regiment Blues and Royals squadron enjoy a break from their regular routine at Holkham beach.