You might have noticed there’s been some weather in Scotland these past few days. Wet and windy, who’d have thought it? It’s not like that happens every year, after all. No. Wait a minute? It does. It’s one of the very things about living North of the Border. You know? Four seasons in one day. Never step out without a Pacamac to hand. That kind of thing.
The entirely routine has been in the news again lately. Festival-goers evacuated from soggy fields, international golfers somewhat inconvenienced and (proper sympathy here) people’s homes have been flooded. Scottish weather strikes again.
Well, I love the weather here – especially in the summer when the capricious changes seem more outrageous. Here’s why:
- You get to wear wellies – comfy, colourful and cheap. And the only footwear that’s identical whether you’re in the kindergarten or the nursing home. Because it’s wise to be prepared, you can wear them whenever you like.
- Puddles. A foot-together leap is fun, but nothing beats driving through flooded roads so the water splatters up over the windscreen. Just like you’re in a jungle Jeep fleeing from bad guys… or something.
- If it rains hard enough midgies drown.
- There’s very little risk of fire.
- We are, usually, excused the unnecessary torturing of marinaded meat products by cooking on a barbecue. Elsewhere this illogical practice of reverting to primitive heat sources only feet from the presence of fully functioning high-tech grill happens whenever the sun shines.
- There’s no point in doing the gardening/outside DIY as it’s about to rain.
- Nipping out to the bins and not getting soaked is a source of huge gratitude. Count those blessings.
- It’s not necessary to prepare bare flesh for public exposure as you can relax in the knowledge that it’ll nestle comfortably under fleece or jeans all summer. Plucking and painting is pointless.
- It makes the view more interesting. Blue sky every day would get dull.
- You get to exercise your ability for contingency planning and/or bashing on regardless.
- Money isn’t squandered on garden sprinklers or watering cans – I must have saved a fortune.
The only area that rain and I aren’t friends are those times when the hair colour (intense violet) I’ve carefully applied (but apparently not fully rinsed) runs down my face fetchingly. I probably need one of these:
