When it rains it pours

This picture is hardly exaggerated. I lived in Manchester and even I am astounded by the raging rainstorms we get here. It can be a beautiful sunny day and then suddenly the heavens descend and I’m left dodging raindrops in a breezy summer dress.

I’ll use yesterday as an example. We were on our way to go swimming in the lovely outdoor pool at estadio, however, as we were already late and the stadium was overrun by aggressive football fans (more to come on them) we decided to turn back. I was really struggling because it was scorching hot so I suggested ice cream –  the second best way to cool down.

Off we went for ice cream, yum yum yum, then on the way home we popped into the supermarket for a quick stock-up. When we went into the supermarket Medellin was all blue skies and wispy clouds. When we came out 20 minutes later it was like a scene from the bible (i.e. Noah’s ark). The rain was going HORIZONTAL and there were rivers streaming down the road. I had flip flops on and my feet were getting submerged by enormous puddles. Our flat was only a 2 minute walk away, but by the time I got home I was drenched. I might as well have been swimming.

This particular image shows an afternoon in the office. I was sitting at my computer a metre or two from the patio door and a violent storm was in full flow. I was getting splashed by rain and blown about by the wind despite being firmly within the building. I felt under attack, like the weather was out to get me! I was also very amused that the weather was INSIDE the building. I laughed and then moaned, as if there was no solution and then somebody did the obvious thing and closed the door. I hadn’t thought of doing that.

It’s not just rain – there’s also thunder and lightning on a daily basis! It’s really exciting! When it rains in England it’s just cold and inconvenient. When it rains here it’s an event. And the best thing is, you know it’ll pass quickly and as soon as it does you’ll be basking in the sunshine again.

As I type it has just started pissing it down. Thunder and lightning are featuring in a big way too – I only counted a couple of elephants between the flash and the grumble!