What is it
about this world that you love? The sun? The snow? Cold, frosty
mornings?
For me, it's
the rain. I've loved the sound of rainfall ever since I was a child.
There's something peaceful and relaxing about the sound of rain
pattering on the roof. It helps me feel connected to our beautiful
world.
Way before
You Tube and MP3 downloads, I had to wait until it was raining to get
my fix. I'd scour the weather reports, waiting for that perfect
summer's day so I could sit beneath my tree. I much preferred the
summer storms. There would be leaves on the tree and it would be
warmer. I could sit on the grass with no shoes on and feel the stray
raindrops that wriggled between the branches on my toes.
As I moved
around the country so I had to find new places to sit and watch the
world go by during those rainy moments. Sometimes it was the garden
of a surgery just along the road from where I lived. Or the trees
that surrounded the market square. There was the gazebo in the back
garden or the conservatory attached to the house. I needed to find
places where I could sit and switch my brain off.
With the
internet, we're now able to find relaxation videos of every kind.
Many of them run for several hours.
Two years
ago, I went to Las Vegas. One of the things I wanted to witness was
one of their incredible storms. Unfortunately, I was going in April
and their storm season tends to be between December and March.
During my
stay, we took a trip to LA. We drove between the two cities and, on
our return to Vegas, something remarkable happened. As we were
unloading the car, several spots of rain landed on my back. The
friends I was travelling with also felt it yet there was only a
little haze in the sky. It was a beautiful moment and one I'll
treasure forever.
In August
2015, I travelled to London to do research for a book I'm writing.
One of the central themes of this story is the British weather. The
protagonist enjoys nothing more than sitting beneath the awning of
his shop and watching the summer storms pass overhead. They're the
scenes I've enjoyed writing the most, watching as the rain becomes a
metaphor for the changing of this character's life.
 |
| Watching the rain from Kensington Gardens |
I stayed in
the exact area of London that my character lives in. I wanted to know
what he'd see, hear, and smell on a daily basis. I wanted to know
where he'd shop and who he'd bump in to. While the likes of Google
Street View is great for research, it's nothing compared to actually
being there.
I checked
the weather forecast before I went as the British weather can be
extremely indecisive. Rain had been forecast for one of the two days
I was there and I couldn't have been happier. I excitedly packed an
umbrella and waterproofs and prepared to spend a long time sitting in
Hyde Park and watching the weather.
And rain it
did. The day was the perfect replica of the ones I remember from my
childhood; warm and sunny before the sky became overcast and the
heavens opened. I spent several hours doing something I hadn't done
for many years; sitting beneath a tree and listening to the rain. As
it abated, I returned to my hotel, opened the sash window and waited
for it to begin again.
 |
| Tea - check Notebook - check Rain - check |
My hotel
backed onto a small park and I was blessed with a room that not only
overlooked this green space but that also had a small balcony. As the
storm returned for round two, I stepped out on to the balcony and
nestled myself beneath the protective cover of the eaves. Listening
to London in the midst of a rainstorm, with its never-ending traffic
and people talking, was beautiful. For me, it was peaceful, relaxing
and inspiring. I came home feeling cleansed and ready to finish the
story I'd started so many months before.
