Saturday 14 November 2009

The Four Seasons

Hands up anyone who woke up to to a scene like this outside this morning:

Yuk! Isn't it horrible? I woke up to howling wind rattling round the house and rain lashing against the window. My husband doesn't understand when I say that there are parts of Autumn I really don't like. He loves the fact that in England we get a wide variety of weather according to the season and would not enjoy living anywhere that the seasons don't change. I don't like the fact that in England we sometimes get all 4 seasons in one day! You can wake up to sunshine and get caught out in a thunderstorm later on, or wrap yourself up warm against the elements in the morning and find yourself sweltering under 4 layers of clothing in the afternoon. I guess that is why a true Brit will always find themselves prepared for any eventuality. And why it is very hard to pack light if you go away for a weekend!
I suppose it gives us the excuse to buy lots of clothes for all weathers and we need a wide variety of footwear for all conditions. Imagine living somewhere that you could get away with two pairs of flip flops for the whole year! All those knee high boots, ankle boots, high heeled sandals, strappy sandals, winter shoes, ballet flats, flip flops, Ugg boots etc etc we would miss out on 'needing'.
I try to be organised and at the end of the summer put my little strappy dresses and shorts away, as I pack up winter sweaters and skirts and opaque tights at the beginning of spring. But because you never know when you may need winter clothes in summer, it's a tough call to make.
Don't get me wrong, I love a cold, fresh, crisp autumn day when the leaves are turning, and I love the crunch of freshly fallen snow underfoot almost as much as I love cloudless blue skies and sunny days. It's the damp I don't like. Don't like dashing from car to house and still getting drenched, don't enjoy driving through the huge puddles that appear in country roads, and could quite easily hibernate until the rain stops again.
Is it just me? Anyone out there enjoying the weather today?



11 comments:

DragonsLady said...

I'm sorry you don't love the rainy days. I can relate, in a way; I don't like sweltering hot days. I do enjoy rain, but partly, I'm sure, because we get very little rain where I live (high mountain desert - New Mexico in the USA.) And I absolutely love coming to Great Britain where the humidity makes my skin just rejoice that it's not being sucked dry. But then, the humidity can get to be too much when it's hot. So, no matter where you are, there are bound to be days when the weather isn't you "cuppa". Just remember, as the Good Book says - "And it came to pass..." not that it came to stay.

Anonymous said...

We get way too much rain here in the Pacific Northwest of WA state. BLAH!! I really dislike more than one day of rain. BUT today?? The sun is shining. The sky is blue and after an entire week (or more) of grey and rain this is gorgeous!!!

scrappyjacky said...

I'm with you on the rain....any other weather I enjoy....hot summer days....cold winter days....but it should only be allowed to rain at night!!!I think there's something in the old saying 'Britain has the best climate in the world,but the worst weather'......if you live here you'll understand!!

Cheri said...

I live on the East Coast of the United States (PA) and my weather today looks just like yours. Chilly, wet, rainy, windy - yuck.

humel said...

Hi Deb, sorry to go off topic but I couldn't find another way to contact you!

I'm planning to share my choc fudge recipe on my recipe blog within the next few weeks. I can try to remember to leave you a comment again then, so you know to look. Alternatively, if you email me (via this comment or my profile) I can send you the recipe directly if you want it sooner (or don't trust my memory!).

And, just to get back on topic, I'm not a big fan of rain - but being (usually) an unrelenting optimist, I remind myself that you can't have a rainbow without the rain :-)

Rachel Brett said...

I find rain a tad annoying, especially the fine rain that drenches you instantly. Let's hope it passes soon.

Jane said...

When I lived in England and Scotland, I didn't like the rain at all, but now I'm in Alberta, Canada and we have ahd drought conditions for sooooo long. Our big pond actually dried up this year - no where for the moose and deer to drink at dawn :(

Now when it rains I like to open the window and listen to it - as it really doesn't rain very often at all - months go by with no rain - and then of course come November until April it is normally too cold for rain and we just get snow.

There is something cozy about the sound of rain against the window when you are snug inside :)

Lizzie said...

Well, we did need some rain, but I agree that it's a bit much just now. What a night it was last night! And what a day today!

On a more cheerful note, your garden looks very pretty in that photo, in spite of the rain. It must be wonderful in the sunshine!

Anonymous said...

I'm in Colorado, USA, and we got five inches of snow last night. We're supposed to get a foot of snow overnight. I'm over it already and it isn't even winter yet! :)

Carrie/scrapchick said...

hehe, we have the same thing here in Wisconsin, USA. The saying is "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minuts."

I'm sorry the rainy days aren't fun for you. I personally love rainy days but all in a row, not so much! :)

Amy said...

Deb, Melbourne is exactly the same. It pays to take your umbrella on a 35 degree day! We are known as the city in Australia that easily may have the four seasons in one day. At the moment we would all like to be having a lot more rain ... we've had a drought for many years, water restrictions and dreadful weather conditions.