Don't let the weather get you down......

''A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and

ourselves.'' (Marcel Proust)

When it comes to small talk, the weather is often a safe bet.

Perhaps it can be likened to a code that can be used to start

 conversations and overcome social inhibitions.

When I lived in the UK, the weather was a very common topic.

Especially when it was nice weather.

A clear blue sky with a friendly sun seemed to put a little

zing in most people's step.

There were picnics, walks, and games in the parks to be had.

Ice-creams to be devoured, cups of tea to be sipped,

and intimate conversations to be enjoyed.

 Sunny days were days,... for being outside.

 In a country often draped in gray clouds and on-and-off

downpours, being able to feel the sun on one's face,

to remove a layer or two of clothing, I can imagine would probably

feel quite exhilarating.

You see, I believe that the weather affects us.

Not only physically, but according to some science, also

psychologically.

Rain (yay! boo!) is vital for life and growth,

but too much rain, can be devastating and potentially deadly.

Sunshine (yay! boo!), vital for life and growth, if too much,

can also be devastating and potentially deadly.

For someone who relies on the weather for their livelihood,

the weather is a serious subject. Floods and drought can often

lead to significant mental health consequences for farmers

and all those who work in areas that depend on the weather.

Australia is a country with huge farms but not until I visited

one personally did I realize just how important the weather is

 for the farmers.

 To be a farmer here in Australia takes a lot

of stamina, courage and resilience.

The farmer has to contend with bush fires, drought, insect and

rodent infestations, water spouts, hurricanes, etc. etc. etc.

Just so we are on the same page, a definition of the term weather.

Weather incorporates components such as: temperature, 

atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, 

precipitation and cloudiness.

Although some of us may like windy and rainy days,

we have no problem with barometric pressure or humidity,

for some other of us however, they are an issue.

Windy days can be catastrophic for people suffering

with allergies, rainy or humid days can make some people

moody, irritable, and or tired. Barometric pressure can

trigger headaches in some of us but temperature, I contend,

 affects most of us in some way or another.

My first few years here in OZ, I experienced only two seasons:

Hot and bloody hot. A few years later I added muggy and bone-dry.

Now they are back to two: hot and muggy, bloody hot and bone-dry.

(One may think that I ought to be used to the weather here by now,

but for some inexplicable reason, ... I'm not.)

Fossicking through a number of sites on weather and 

how we are affected by it, I am afraid that I have found

nothing yet that meets the criteria that I am looking for.

All I can say for sure is that there seems to be a general

consensus on most of the sites that the 

weather does affect us.

In conclusion: I can't make one. 

There are way too many variables.

How the weather affects us depends

 on the day, on the time of day,

where we are, where we are going,

who we are with, who we left behind,

what we are doing, what we did,

what we are feeling, what we are thinking,

what we believe, what we perceive,

etc. etc. etc.

''It can be hard to look cool and be warm at the same time.''

''The sound of the rain needs no translation.''

(Allan Watts)

 

about the image: acrylic on canvas