The serenity of rain

A shower on a sombre grey day instantly transports me back to sitting and watching out the picture window in my parents' bedroom as small rivers formed in the gutters and drains along the street.

Sometimes we'd put on a raincoat and race 'boats' made of paper or leaves, but other days I could just sit there in soaking in the serenity.

I'm not sure if those days had a guiding force on my hobbies, or the hobbies I developed just coincidentally were supported by gloomy weather.

I'm a bit of a quiet shut-in on weekends, I like to paint or read a book or lounge out for a movie. Rainy days are a perfect excuse to complete any combination of those three things.

"Well it's the weather for it," most people say when you're trying to justify not leaving the house and I am OK with that.

There has been a surprisingly high amount of rain - and storms - this summer and I've welcomed nearly all of it, but there is one big revelation with the sweaty summer downpours: When they clear, the lawn grows about a foot taller in a week.

It does leave me charging the batteries to do a few laps with the electric mower more often than I'd like.

But I still welcome the rain, that smell, those shadowy blue tones and pitter patter on the roof as I go to bed.

Is there a kind of weather that transports you somewhere else and do you look forward to those kinds of days?

I do.

Jacob McMaster, Editor