The elements

Bruce always says that Australia does not have "weather", it has "climate". America has "weather".
Isn't that the truth!
We had a lot of rain as we caught the edge of Hurrricane Isabel last week - but nothing compared to the rain which fell today. It started out as a calm and warmish day and when they forecast rain, I thought of showers. So walking back from the supermarket in my rainjacket was no problem. It was very pleasant, despite the weight of shopping on my back. It is steady rain but not cold. In fact, I was pretty steamy inside the rain jacket. The world seemed lush and abundant and altogether lovely.
A short while later I realised that it was very dark indeed. One does not notice when glued to a computer screen - at first. But then I felt rather spooked. It was early afternoon - and dark as night. Then came the rains. Oh, and how they came. For more than an hour water sheeted from the sky - and the lawns turned to lakes.
I darted out to the balcony to pull the gorgeous blooming New Guinea impatiens back from battering torrent - and I was drenched, even under the canopy of the balcony. My hair was sodden. This was not a bad thing, really, since I had just pony-tailed it after washing this morning - and I was prompted to go and blow dry it to some sort of style.
And the rain rained and rained and rained. Long and hard and loud.
And I had to turn the lights on in the apartment, which made it feel all the more like night.

But I buried myself in cooking and challenged the drenched air with scents of fragrant spices...

Now the rain has stopped. Just a few drips from the trees. The late day's sun is fighting its way out - spreading lavish light rays through the moist trees.

Sweet reward.