the weather

I thought about mentioning the wonderful run of weather we've been having: cold, crisp but sunny autumn mornings with little, if any, wind and sunny, warm afternoons until about 4pm. I thought about mentioning it, just so I could jynx it into raining...getting a bit lazy about watering the patches of dirt in various parts of the garden - patches where we've sown grass seed. A bit late in the season to be planting grass-we did leave it a bit late, but then, as it turns out, we've had this wonderful run of weather! It also turns out that if you think about mentioning a good run of weather and then think better of it, in case you jynx it, the curse is already cast, you've jynxed it. But I didn't have to water the garden today, and it wasn't heavy rain...not really. More like being in a cloud: wet drizzle. A lot like London, really. An excellent day for mushroom soup, or a few beers in a pub...yes, very Londoney today. But no, I don't miss London! Don't miss having to descale my kettle every few weeks when I get a crunchy bit in my cup of tea..Don't miss the millions of people. Or the nightlife. Maybe the public transport? Hmm, no, not really - I still find driving around in our car a novelty and appreciate the fact that I can wear white and not resign myself to the fact that it'll never be white again. Don't miss the chewing gum on the seats of the bus/train/tube. Don't miss thinking "pence, not cents" every time I write a cheque. Don't miss not being able to find a decent loaf of bread. I miss the people I met. But mostly they were also only transient; they won't be there forever. So it doesn't really count.

I don't mind rain. In fact, I quite love it. That is, when I'm safe and sound inside, marvelling at the size of the drops and the relentless downpour. Perhaps it's because I grew up in Cape Town, where it can rain for 2 weeks nonstop. Admittedly, cycling to school was never a whole lot of fun in that absolute wall of water and blustery wind, but see now, I miss that. I miss the extreme Cape of Storm's weather. Sure London had rain that went on for months (!) but it was a constant drizzle - like being in the cloud - not like it was thrown down upon us. In London one CAN use an umbrella - they work quite well, keeping your head and shoulders dry. It takes a bit of practice though, walking with millions of other umbrella users on a crowded pavement - your eyes water in anticipation of the impending spoke stab. There's a bit of umbrella etiquette too: the bloke walking towards you will most probably hoist his umbrella while you duck yours, but it pays to be on the defensive - those careless idiots who have no spacial concept are a health hazard when dipping their umbrellas to the side to pass by. That said, maybe they do teach umbrella etiquette in the UK. I wouldn't know. Never used umbrellas in Cape Town - no point. There's always the wind, you see. The SOUTH EASTER! The BLACK South Easter...the blustery, ferocious, famous, (usually) GALE force South Easter. Or in winter, the NORTH WESTER! Just try and use an umbrella! It's hard enough trying to keep your skirt from blowing up around your ears! (Never wore skirts much after school! ). I love extreme weather. But I know it's only because I had absolute faith in my safety - I never doubted that I would be fine. I love thunder and lightning, hail...I even love extreme heat. But now that I'm a bit older, I feel a bit different. WIll the house withstand it? What happens if we're struck by lightning? Will those hailstones dent our car!? Think of what it would cost! Is the roof going to blow off? I hear my mother's words in my head - I hear her worrying about the roof blowing away...I remember the absolute faith I had: I'm invincible. Don't worry Mommy.
I hear my daughters voice too: "Don't worry Mummy, I'll hold your hand."