The weather ... again

Kia Ora! We've had some really nice weather. The sun was warm and bright, the temperature reached 24 (felt like about 70F) for at least 3 days. I guess that was summer. And then we got another of those four-seasons-in-one-day days, which introduced a spate of weather that warned of the approaching winter. Snow fell at 600 metres, we got sleet, rain, strong winds, and a short spot of sun. Everyone says this has been a cool summer. Hear that as an understatement. My shorts haven't come out for wearing yet making me wonder why I brought them. Even at best, I recognize that this far south, the climate is temperate minus, which gives rise to several wry observations on the part of the people who live here. To wit: "If you can't see the mountains, it is raining. If you can see the mountains, it's going to rain." "If it rains before 10 (AM), the sun will shine by 2 (PM)." (Sam quoted Grandmother Carol: "Rain before 7, sun by 11.") And here is a poem written by Kiwi Anonymous: Southland Weather It rained and it rained and it rained and it rained; the average fall was well maintained, and when the tracks were simply bogs, it started raining cats and dogs. After a drought of half an hour we had a most refreshing shower, and then the most curious thing of all: a gentle rain began to fall. Next day was also fairly dry, save for the deluge from the sky, which wetted the party to the skin, and after that the rain set in. Cheers, Kiwi Traveler