It was hubris, of course; but I had really begun to think - and to quip boastfully with friends - that I had become some sort of lucky charm with regard to the weather.
At the end of last month I flew back to an England that was suffering "one of the wettest summers on record" and was paralysed by floods or the threat of floods. Things were finally clearing up the day I arrived, and the sun shone brightly throughout the entire time I was there (well, apart from one grey, drizzly Sunday up in Edinburgh; you've got to expect some rain in Edinburgh!); it only ever rained (and not that much) overnight.
That is, until the day of my departure, which dawned as one of sunless, skyless, drizzly gloom. When I got back to Beijing (nearly a day and a half "later"), the sun was shining, and it was hot-but-not-too-hot; not quite a clear sky, but mercifully un-humid and un-smoggy - and there was a brief blaze of blue sky just before dusk. Again, this is pretty remarkable. The weather in August is usually cripplingly soupy; and apparently it had been grey and dreary as well for most of the last few weeks.
It would seem that I was, indeed, blessed. I was starting to tell people that I was a 'Weather God', that they should pay me to come to their barbecue parties to ensure clear skies, that they should beg me to accompany them on their holidays....
But it couldn't last. It lasted, in fact, all of about three hours after my return. Around sunset, the humidity suddenly went through the roof, and the saturation of the air has been around 90% for the next two days - it has been impossible to walk more than a few yards outside without gushing sweat from every pore. (And how I wish the air-conditioning in the lifts - and the lift lobby - in my office building actually worked...) Thursday was particularly grim: a day of choking fug and apocalyptic gloom, with light levels never getting above those of late dusk. At least on Friday we've got the sun back, although you've never really been able to see the sky.
So...... the next time I get a really lucky run with the weather, I'll keep my mouth shut about it.
3 comments:
Yes, you should indeed come back again soon, sir. It has been drizzling without pause since Tuesday.
Is there any news on that young lady you like in Beijing?
Well, at least you had nice weather while on your vacation. That's more of a plus than bad weather in Beijing is a minus. I think.
Not a very utilitarian assessment, OMG - I was on holiday for three weeks, I'm in Beijing forever!!
Snopes, you nosey parker, rest assured that I will share news with you when there is any news to be shared. My romantic obsession is herself on holiday at the moment.
Post a Comment