The First Drops Of Rain.

Extremely hot weather before the official start to summer.

Gosh, this heat has been on a par with Durban weather in February. Hot, impossible and never ending. The barometer climbing close to the forties is only the half of it when you consider how dry it has been. Rain, alas, only in Spain.

The heat hardly abates during the night and just like in Durban, we have taken to sleeping with duvet covers sans duvet. Even that has to be borne. Add a touch of feline fur and the plot in an angry movie thickens..." Get off me, cat! "

Cooking poses slight difficulties but despite saying this or that is too hot to eat, remember that most cooked meals are full of heat. Might as well sweat over a curry than a pasta dish.

We keep the curtains closed during the day and it does lend a touch of coolness to our house. Just a touch though. Normally I can whip them open at about four in the afternoon but thankfully today they needed to be moved much earlier. Yes, the sky above us has morphed from a friendly deceptive perky blue into a moody grey. Moody blues in some areas but holding many a promise of cloud bursts or at least a sprinkling of rain. The air, when I opened two windows has that delicious scent of rain in the offing. Fresh, crisp with slight hints of rotting grass.

Maus and I are on opposite sides of the house peering through windows whilst hoping for rain or a glimpse of tomcat Joe. Small slivers of drops are descending teasingly onto our garden and with any luck, they will stop being timid and instead water our plants and garden. Rain, is loved by most except perhaps by the Brits. Moaning about the bloody rainy weather is a luxury most of us don't have, even though when we do have a week of rainy weather, Bob and I can be heard lamenting forcefully over the lack of sun. Are we ever happy?

Biggi