Changing tides

I dropped my friend off at her house yesterday after our writing group. On the way home she excitedly told me about an afternoon kayak trip planned with a friend.

However, as we travelled our last kilometre along the shore line we could see white caps and an angry chop on the menacing sea. There was a bitter southerly as well, adding to the unpleasant mix. I wondered if her trip would go ahead.

This morning on my walk, the sea was calm, the wind had dropped and although cold, the sun shone warmly on my jacketed-up body. Today would have been the perfect day for kayaking.

And that unfortunately is how life works. We make plans or we have set days off each week but it is not always the most favourable conditions on these planned days. The last few times we have travelled to town it has been raining. These kinds of days are nice to relax in the house, perfect for writing on the computer and yet because of an appointment we’ve had to travel out in adverse conditions.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew exactly what each day was going to produce in the way of weather. I know in summer I often feel sorry for campers as the storms don’t limit themselves to winter months. Many a holiday period has been ruined by days of wet weather…and that might be the only annual leave someone has at that time of the year.

I think the days of predicting weather are long gone. For example, this April was the wettest April since records began. Usually that month is sunny and pleasant. Going on past Aprils one should have felt pretty safe planning a holiday up here in that month. Not so this year.

But then again, what is wrong with a little rain? Do we get too spoilt during the dry months when we find ourselves begging for rain? That seems a contradictory statement. One minute I’m talking about the rain, next the drought, but that is how it is here. The dry is just as unpredictable as the wet. Not all summers are dry and not all autumns are wet.

They say climate is changing and we are to expect more extreme weather events. The arguers say there have always been droughts and storms and any fluctuation is normal. All I can say is there seems to be no normal anymore.

I hope my friend chose to postpone her kayak trip yesterday. Today would be perfect.