Two strangers wait at a bus stop. One says: Cold today, isn't it? The conversation has started.
1In many countries people talk about the weather when they have nothing to say. In Britain they talk about the weather when they want to say something else. A comment about the rain is not information. It is an invitation.
2The rules are quiet but clear. You never disagree. If someone says it is cold, you agree that it is cold, even if you are warm. You are not describing the temperature: you are showing that you are friendly. Then, if the other person wants to talk, the conversation continues. If not, both of you look at the road again, and nobody feels bad.
3The weather is perfect for this job because it belongs to nobody. It is not politics, it is not money, it is not family. Everybody has the same weather, so everybody can have an opinion without any risk.
4Right now, outside my window, it is raining. It usually rains here in the afternoon, but today it started early. Two people are standing under the same small roof. Neither of them knows the other. One of them is already saying: Terrible, isn't it?
You are not describing the temperature. You are opening a door.
