Whatever the Weather

A big reason we moved from the UK to California was because of the weather.  After several summers of rain and gloom, we’d had enough.  We wanted to be able to plan for events and know it wasn’t going to pour down.  Or have a barbecue at the weekend, without having to run inside in the middle, because the rain had started.  It sounds so superficial, but waking up to sunshine, every single day, has quite an effect on you.   The sun pours through the windows and we’re itching to get outside.  We’re still in that mode of thinking it’s a lovely day so we should get out there and make the most of it.  But it will be sunny again tomorrow, there’s no rush.

I love the weather forecasts here.  They’re very quick and easy.  The weather reporter comes on, stands in front of a row of seven suns and tells us it will be sunny and warm. I laugh every time.  Why even pay a weather reporter? I could do that!  In England, people live for the weather forecast.  What will it be like at the weekend?  Will we be able to have a barbecue, play football, have a picnic?

There are drawbacks to no rain.  It’s not green and fresh here.  England truly is a very green and pleasant land.  This spring, there were no daffodils, tulips or lambs.  There was blossom on the trees, but that seemed to come way back in February and there’s not a huge feeling of the seasons changing, even though we do have a few days of rain in the winter.  With no rain in the summer, the rain doesn’t wash the sidewalks/pavements, so there’s a feeling of everywhere being dry and dusty.  Sometimes, I think it would be great to have a downpour, just to freshen everything up.

With the boys signed up for baseball and skateboarding classes, I know that every single class or game will happen.  It won’t be rained off.  Rhys took part in a cricket camp two summers ago.  He couldn’t wait and counted down the weeks until the camp.  And then the rain started.  It rained every single day of the weeklong camp.  And not just drizzle.  Here we were in August and the rain was pounding down, so much so, that they spent most the week playing games inside the clubhouse.  He was so disappointed that he wasn’t able to get outside and play cricket.

The boys, within a year, have lost any sense of reason over the weather.  Now, when it’s cloudy in morning, they think we should take the car to school.  They’re so used to the sun, cloud upsets them!  If the temperature drops below 60 degrees, they’re complaining and reaching for sweaters.  It’s like they’ve never lived in a cold climate.

We’ve signed the boys up for a baseball camp this summer and last night Declan announced that ‘this summer is going to be great.  If we were in England, we’d spend it looking out of the window at the rain running down the windows.’  I have to say; I agreed with him, it’s going to be a great summer.