A Whinge and a Moan

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There are times when we all deserve a little whine. Today I am taking advantage and want to moan about the rain. I know that the British predeliction for speaking about our weather is well known, but of late it is also very much well-founded. The buds bursting into green in the hedgerows and trees; our resident hare running around the adjacent field; the Spring bulbs already fading; the lighter evenings. It should all be adding up to a rapid movement towards summertime. Unfortunately cool temperatures and constant rain are spoiling everything. Indeed the farm next door seems to be growing nothing more than a crop of mud and the number of hours (not even days) that I have been able to get out into the garden can be very much counted on one hand.

Today, with a dry forecast, expectations were high despite the deluge overnight. Of course, in true British fashion we ended up with a mild day ruined by strong winds. Suddenly I'm feeling envious of those who make the decision to retire to a warmer climate.

At least there's a couple of positives to draw from the situation. Firstly I haven't got carried away sowing seeds in the greenhouse; something of a blessing now we know that we are moving out to enable the remediation works to take place. Secondly, it's trapped me indoors providing instead an opportunity to pack and declutter.  

It seems the British weather and retirement go hand in hand. Do they conspire to provide the unexpected?

Some things, however, are entirely predictable. Take the number of scammers that constantly bombard us. I received an email today that required handling with the utmost caution (please may I always retain my wits in retirement to be vigilant). Somebody was claiming to have written a book about retirement and wanted me to review it. He claimed its publication date was in May and provided a link to what looked like the Amazon website. Of course, I checked the book out separately. It would appear that it was actually published over a year ago and has a totally different ISBN to that on what I assume to be a fake website. Retirement bloggers be aware! 

Just to finish my moaning, will we even have a climate or an Internet fit for purpose in a few years from now or is my retirement doomed to end in a mud bath devoid of technology? On which note I shall close, save for recording that it is now raining again!

 

Comments

Treaders said…
The British weather is the reason I always knew I would leave Britain, even from a very young age. Growing up in central Birmingham with the grey and the drizzle (and Songs of Praise droning on in the background) did my head in! I don't mind the cold but the constant grey is so depressing. My younger neighbour is married to an Englishman and his job stability is a bit dodgy at the moment. Her mom was telling me that if he loses his job they'll go to the US, Canada or Australia, but not the UK - he feels the same as I do about the weather. Shame really, as it's a beautiful country!
7 April 2024 at 08:28
Caree Risover said…
The rain really has been depressing of late, but it’s certainly making everything a brilliant shade of green. A dry spell and blue sky to appreciate the beauty of the landscape are long overdue.
7 April 2024 at 10:11
Marksgran said…
Hi, I've not been commenting much lately. Recently returned from a trip to visit our son who now lives in Sydney, Australia! He moved for the weather too. Much as I love visiting him, I don't think I could live there. It's hard to compare as he lives in the city and I live in the suburbs but I also live only 10 minutes from the city centre as our city is small. In Sydney you still feel in the city when you travel for an hour! I think I could cope with our climate better if we at least had a guaranteed spell of nice weather in the spring and summer but this year has proved this not to be the case! However I'd rather this than boiling alive in 40 degree heat in the summer. The climate is definitely changing no matter what the naysayers have to say. I hope your remediation works are almost done and you are well and ready for a glorious summer!!!
5 May 2024 at 09:26
Caree Risover said…
Glad to hear your planned trip to Australia has happened and was a great success. I can’t wait to start travelling again, once we are no longer required on site, so to speak. We have been without a broadband connection for a while now but on the basis that normal service should be resumed shortly, I’m hoping to get back online and bore everyone with the latest instalment in our remediation nightmare!
8 May 2024 at 07:43
Jennyff said…
Just catching up,I was sorry to read about your robbery, that would have put me into a tail spin. Sorry about the weather too, having sunny days here makes up for a lot we have to out up with, until it gets too hot and the mosquitoes arrive but we’ll return to the UK then and hope it’s finally stopped raining. Good luck with the work, I’ll wait to hear.
16 May 2024 at 07:08
Caree Risover said…
Thanks for commenting Jennyff - I’m beginning to wonder if 3 warm and sunny days a couple of weeks ago was actually the extent of summer but plenty to occupy us in the poor weather, regardless!
30 May 2024 at 13:00
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