England Has Weather

The sun came out for a minute yesterday

Then...

You should just hear the rain outside my door. What a commotion! (I think it might become a storm). If I were to take off my walking shoes and tip them over, water would come shooting out.

I could become discouraged by all this wetness except that we learned long ago that England has weather. C.S. Lewis said in 'That Hideous Strength' that you cannot let your plans be dictated by the weather. Furthermore, you ought really to like weather. Sidle up to it, and make friends. Well... he didn't say that last thing, exactly, but you get the gist.

I know first hand that the Brits are very good at this because the streets of St Ives were crammed full of people today. In spite of the weather, they crept slowly along Fore Street eating ice creams and looking for the illusive perfect something in a shop. The crowds were bundled up as if it was winter in Norway. But the strangest thing was the shops themselves. It was cold, rainy, and windy, yet the store windows displayed sundresses, flip flops, and shorts, fit for summer. There wasn't a single thing any of us could use. 

Thinking back to 'That Hideous Strength', I will always remember what Jane Studdock and her two companions said on their day of rain. 

***

"Don't you like a rather foggy day in a wood in autumn?" remarked Camilla. "You'll find we shall be perfectly warm sitting in the car."

Jane said she'd never heard of anyone liking fogs before but she didn't mind trying. All three got in.

"That's why Camilla and I got married," said Denniston, as they drove off. "We both like Weather. Not this or that kind of Weather, but just Weather. It's a useful taste if one lives in England."

"I'm sure I hated wet days as a child," said Jane. 

"That's because the grownups kept you in," said Camilla.

***

 

Maybe I am a little more like Jane in my attitude toward Weather. Maybe Camilla's is the better one, and I ought to sidle up to it, and make friends. It's a useful taste if one lives in England.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady