Fortunately, I really like rain. I have been called abnormal - mad, even - but I bet there are more people out there who like it but are afraid to own up. Please say, if you like- love, even - the rain (and wind?)

'Rain at the windows, beating doors
'And blasts that besom the green....' (Hardy)

I don't mind those breezes, but I don't like the wind, we get North winds here that are really bad on the allergies. I don't mind rain at all, unless it is non-stop for days on end.

Pat

Some more Hardy . . .

This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
And thresh and ply;
And hill-hid tides throb, throe on throe,
And meadow rivulets overflow,
And drops on gate bars hang in a row,
And rooks in families homeward go,
And so do I."

I work with a lot of climate change researchers so the coffee room conversations can be rather interesting at times. We had a very warm winter, a hot spring, and now a boiling summer (and it's only June). Called my mum yesterday who had just put the heating on and was going to bed in a jumper/sweater!

I asked her to send some rainy weather and cool temps over here just for a treat.

Back to topic (sort of), I mixed up the subject line with "Western Wind":

O WESTERN wind, when wilt thou blow
That the small rain down can rain?
Christ, that my love were in my arms
And I in my bed again!

This post brought to mind one of the (very few) snippets of childhood poetry I have rattling around in my head:

The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.

I do hope your weather improves, Vee!

Many of us who live in the East coast have been talking about our own unusual weather: we hardly had winter at all, and the earliest spring many of us can remember. Spring flowers began blooming in winter, summer flowers bloomed in spring. The leaves came out on the trees over a month early. Today is the last official day of spring, before the heat waves begin. We had the earliest tropical storm on record, in May.

I read somewhere that last year's earthquake in Japan slightly tilted the earth on its axis, and that this accounts for the bizarre changes in weather patterns.

I would think that some of our scientists would work with that satellite data. Not sure though. Do have some friends on the floor above who do a lot of research on how to recycle water to make it safe to drink when you're in space.

I really do know a rocket scientist. :-)

Here in California we had a very dry winter, then just when we had about given up on getting any rain, a wet March and April. We get all of our rain in the cooler half of the year, so a dry winter is a serious thing. We ended up with about half of the average, and were grateful to have it.

The weather now seems pretty normal for this time of year. I would be willing to make the sacrifice of taking one or two of your surplus rain storms!

Rosefolly

Last night
the rain
spoke to me
slowly, saying,
what joy
to come falling
out of the brisk cloud,
to be happy again
in a new way
on the earth!
That's what it said
as it dropped,
smelling of iron,
and vanished
like a dream of the ocean
into the branches
and the grass below.
Then it was over.
The sky cleared.
I was standing
under a tree.
The tree was a tree
with happy leaves,
and I was myself,
and there were stars in the sky
that were also themselves
at the moment
at which moment
my right hand
was holding my left hand
which was holding the tree
which was filled with stars
and the soft rain -
imagine! imagine!
the long and wondrous journeys
still to be ours.

I love the image of rain being happy to be released from the clouds... Little raindrops with smiles... :-)

Very glad that you are ok and did not have too much damage (except for your bottle-brush tree). I am seen oh too well just how damaging high winds can be, so although it's awful to happen, at least it wasn't a lot worse. :-)

We had thunder last night, but no rain... That is just cruel teasing on the part of the Weather Gods, in my opinion.

Cue: Milli Vanilli.

I have just moved to my new digs. Although one of the great things about my new home is the very low rent, it is in a very pricy, prestigious area. Our road washed out and was fixed the very same day. Wonder how that works?

It is thundering, lightning and pouring rain as we 'speak' and I actually LOVE it!

Makes me wanna curl up and READ!

Good day, friends...

nola anne

Mary and whoever else told me about the Lipizzaner horses, you were absolutely correct. They were gorgeous, and we enjoyed the performance tremendously.

We've had lots of rain, but the last few days have been clear. And luckily the heat has left us too.

Thanks for the smile. :-)

And yes, I agree. Counting down to the Olympics (or Limpets, as my mum will say)... (Limpets are a type of shellfish that stick to rocks and the underside of boats in UK and elsewhere...)

Another term that until recently was looked down upon was "girls" for adult women, a term that professional women found to be belittling, as in, the girls in the typing pool. It was thought to imply that this term denied women full adult status, that they did not need to be taken seriously. I have noticed a recent trend among educated adult women to occasionally refer to one another as girls in informal social situations, something I did not hear as recently as ten years ago. However, it would still be considered patronizing for a man to refer to adult women as girls.

Rosefolly

Paula/Rosefolly I am getting to the age when I am more than happy to be referred to as a 'girl' but not when used by a jovial male in the context "Perhaps the girls would like to make the coffee/wash up/ prepare a couple of dozen sandwiches, while we men (never boys) discuss this weighty problem. Did any of you see the Big Match last night? That ref really needs to get his eyes tested . . . "

Sorry Dido, Sport rears its ugly head and it is the spitting of footballers I really cannot stand, especially in close-up on TV.
I'm very non-sporty partly because I was a wheezy child at a time when asthmatics were wrapped in cotton-wool and not encouraged to 'take part'. The older generation of my family were big players/kickers/hitters/throwers/goal-scorers and my brothers and I were always being reminded how feeble we were in comparison. Even my Grandfather, who, by the time I was a child spent his days sitting in his armchair had played rugby against the famous All Blacks in 190?. An impossible act to follow!

After the >100°F days the weather broke, we've had so much rain the manager at our pool actually allowed us in after the sound of thunder (but mostly sunny skies) "at our own risk" yesterday. I was flabbergasted, but took advantage. Lots of good weeding weather. Flowers and bushes blooming here about a month early.