It’s the middle of August and here in Mid Wales it is absolutely peeing it down.
View from my bedroom window
Many people dislike, and complain about, rain in summer time, and for some people I can understand their dislike: crops can be ruined, having a devastating effect on farmers’ incomes, and people whose business relies on passing tourist trade can be equally devastated by a rainy summer, but while I always hope for a mostly-good season, there’s something about a summer rainstorm which makes me happy.
We don’t really get thunder in our valley. I think we’ve had two thunder storms in the 6.5 years we’ve lived here – it’s to do with the direction of the valley compared to the prevailing weather, combined with altitude and narrowness of the valley meaning we don’t get the build up of sticky, muggy weather suffered by more open places. We do get rather splendid downpours though, and that’s when it really feels like summer.
Like so many things, it comes back to childhood memories: summer holidays when I was young were camping & sailing in the UK. When I was very young our destination would normally be Coniston Water in the Lake District, and after we moved to Wales we would go several times a year (but usually including a 2-week stay in summer) to Bala Lake. Inevitably, we would get caught in at least one rainstorm during our stay. If we were lucky, it would arrive while we were at camp so we would just huddle in the tent, playing card games and doing our best not to argue with each other, but there were a number of times we got caught out while out on the lake.
Sometimes we would just divide up – Mum and two daughters shut themselves in the cabin while Dad and the other daughter sailed us back to shore – and other times we’d dash for shelter at the side of the lake and picnic under trees dripping water down our necks, all around us the scent of summer rain and flourishing vegetation.
So no, I don’t tend to whinge about summer rainstorms even when they interrupt my plans. I resist the temptation to run outside and dance in the rain, but I do sit watching with a smile on my face and love in my heart for this rainy, soggy, lush green mountainous land I live in.