To give us all a break from the drama that is my lifeI thought I would write about something completely different todayAs you know
I live in Ireland The west coast of Ireland to be a bit more precise I've lived in Ireland my whole life And there is one topic of conversation that is talked about more than anything elseMore than the state of the worlds economyMore than any of the wars that are going onMore than any murders, rapes or kidnappings What is this subject I hear you ask?Well As you might have guessedIt's the weather
We love to talk about the weather in this countryAnd we get great mileage out of itIt's talked about everywhere you goWith your neighboursWith shopkeepersWith people you pass when you're out for your morning walkOh yes We love to chat about the weather
Ireland is pretty well known for its weatherEspecially rainRain is a common occurrence hereBut the thing about this country isYou have to be prepared for every eventualityIt is not uncommon to have rain, wind, sunshine, hail and snowAll in the same 24 hoursSo if you are heading out for the dayYou really need to be preparedAnd should really bring rain gearFleeces A heavy coatAnd shorts and a t- shirtJust in case
You would think that living in this country all year roundThat we would be well prepared for all the weather we getBut we're notYou can always tell a tourist in this countryAs they will be dressed weather appropriateYou can always spot an Irish person tooAs they will be the one wearing a t-shirt in a stormOr high heels in snow
Every so often we get extreme weatherLike bad stormOr heavy snowfall You would think that we would be prepared for thisBut noOh noThe slightest flurry of snowAnd the whole country comes to a stand stillRoads are closedSchools are shut down And people don't venture outside their front doorThis is when preparation comes in handySo for all you doomsday peepers out thereNow is the time to break out your supplies
I was in my local store yesterday I was queueing up at the till There was a storm brewing outsideAnd there were about three people ahead of me in the lineThe girl at the till had the exact same conversation with all the people before meGirl: The weather is shocking todayCustomer no 1: Oh I know it's desperate
Girl: The weather is tight todayCustomer no 2: Absolutely
Girl: it's a miserable day todayCustomer no 3: Absolutely
But more than talking about the weatherWe Irish love to complain about the weatherWe give out yards when the weather is badBut secretly we are delighted as it gives us a great opportunity to complainI've been to other countriesAnd no where I've been do people talk about the weather as much as we do hereWhy is that?I'm not so sureMaybe because we get such a variety of weather Maybe because the weather determined our day somewhatWhat ever the reasonTalking about the weather is part of our cultureAnd when all other topics of conversation run outThe weather is always there