I’ve been abroad for a couple of weeks and I was pleasantly surprised – ok, thrilled beyond reason and actually pinching myself to ensure I wasn’t experiencing some jet lag-induced fugue of delirium – when I touched down at Heathrow this morning to… sun.

The British summer is a fickle beast, and I’ve learned not to question her often disappointing ways. You get what you’re given. But this summer, it seems we’re being given a break. And with a possible month of hazy days and rose-hued evenings ahead, I’m sharing a few London-based, oola activities I plan to hit up before the sun sets on summer 09.

Swim at the London Fields lido

London Fields lido - photo by purpaboo at Flickr

I spent a good stretch of my formative years in a swimsuit, and like most ex-competitive swimmers, I’m an absolute snob when it comes to swimming pools. I like them clean, cold, tightly laned off, empty, and if at all possible, 50 metres long.

The London Fields lido offers all of this for just £4, and I have it on good authority that there are few, if any, rapscallion kids swimming across the lanes to retrieve balls etc (a pet hate of mine) in the evenings. I plan to end a summer weekday with a long, sunset swim at London Fields before the water gets too cold.

London Fields Westside
E8 3EU

Dance at Favela Chic

Even though there’s no outdoor space, Favela Chic, in Shoreditch, is one of my favourite casual summer bar/clubs. It’s just one big room, all decked out like a Brazilian favela, and it features one really big bar. Cover is cheap (£8 or less, as I recall) and mojitos and caprihinas are delicious and under a fiver.

Favela Chic -- photo by Ewan-M at Flickr

What I love most about Favela Chic is how the crowd (unpretentious, friendly, there for a good time) and the music (LOUD, global, booty-shakin’) come together in this steamy, rapturous embrace just before closing, when the bar staff climb on top of the bar to dance and everyone’s just loving it. Sure, you leave drenched in sweat, but you also leave with a huge and genuine grin on your face.

91-93 Great Eastern Street
EC2A 3HZ (Old Street Tube)

Buy fresh fish at Old Billingsgate Market… and BBQ it in my garden

Fish at Billingsgate market -- photo by dainee at Flickr

My friends E and P are Norwegian and Portuguese, respectively, and it is fair to say that between the two of them they know a million ways to prepare fish. They’re also really fussy, as they should be, about the quality of the fish they buy and the price they pay for it. They shop at and recommend the Old Billingsgate Market. You need to be up for an early start (the market is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5am to 8:30am), but it’s worth it to buy restaurant-quality fish at near-wholesale prices.

Billingsgate Market, Trafalgar Way
E14 5ST

These are 2009’s halcyon days – spending them in front of the telly has got to be some kind of crime against humanity. If you’re scratching your head for something to do this coming Bank Holiday weekend, these are my recommendations — dive in and see how you go.