Rain or Shine

The most difficult aspect of life here is probably just dealing with the heat. High humidity intensifies the already high temperatures, leaving you with no inclination to leave the house between 11am and about 4pm (a preference which can rarely be indulged, as I have a class at 1pm) and a significantly reduced capacity for getting things done. I have invested in a large black umbrella for portable shade. The animals (sensibly) spend their time somnolently spreadeagled on the coolest bit of floor they can find.

Mimi in heat coma

Oli, likewise

However, the sun does not always shine. About two or three times a week, it Rains. When it’s the proper, torrential, capitalise-able kind, the roads turn into rivers and everywhere looks like this:

No-one goes out in this, all the shops shut, children are sent home from school and everyone assumes everything is cancelled until it stops. The surprising thing is that this may still apply if it is drizzling a bit, has been raining and has stopped, or looks like it might rain. In fact, if you put your mind to it you can perfectly well go out in all but the most extreme downpours, making use of your sun umbrella in its waterproof function. 

Technically, the English classes are never cancelled, but the weather can decimate attendance. Those coming from the compañías in the surrounding countryside have a real excuse, as the unsurfaced tracks become slippery and dangerous, but considering how regularly the situation occurs, the universal reaction seems a tad excessive to those born in the west of Scotland.