Whatever the weather

Whataroa River & the Southern Alps.

West Coast wisdom says that whatever the weather is on the first day of the month is a good indicator of what the weather will be for the rest of the month.  I thought that this was an urban myth but as I began to follow the weather more carefully I realised that these born and bred Coasters know their stuff.

1 September was officially the first day of spring and the first day of the West Coast whitebait season.  It was also the day that the spring rain really began to fall this year.  I probably exagerate when I say
that it rained every day of September, but it felt as if it did.  It was wet but it wasn't cold and the dairy farmers were smiling as the grass began to grow.  Not being a dairy farmer I got a bit gloomy looking out the window at the weeds poking through the puddles in the car park and the dandelions waving their yellow heads above the desperately-needs-mowing-but-it-is-still-too-wet lawn.  

So it was on 1 October that I awoke with a sense of anticipation.  Surely I thought to myself it will be fine today, the rain will have gone and spring will really be here (I'm a glass half full kind of girl).   Unfortunately the weather gods had other ideas, it rained on 1 October and it is pretty much still raining today.  When it isn't raining it is almost raining or about to rain or just clearing up for a few minutes.  Sometimes you can't see if there are rain clouds in the sky because of the drizzle hanging around the hills. 

All this rain can be quite depressing but one of the great things about the West Coast is that our little bit of paradise looks fantastic in the rain.  The landscape turns dark and moody accentuated by wisps of valley mist and you can hear impromptu waterfalls cascading down the hills.  When the sun comes out the whole world starts to sparkle, the snow clad Southern Alps rise above the bush and if you are really lucky there is a rainbow in the clouds. 

Whatever the weather brings there is always something worth looking at, I just have to remember to look at the mountains and splash in the puddles.

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