Rain Rain Go Away

There was once a time when I worshipped the rain, begged it to drench me and my surroundings in puddles and fallen leaves and a squishy wormy feeling that comes from the soaking ground beneath one's feet. Hell, we even did dances with the hopes that we'd darken the skies. And it's funny that it has almost become ingrained in me to actually enjoy rainy days more than sunny ones. Up until very recently it was something I looked forward to, almost like a break or a chance for me to just be, well, lazy. After careful consideration I'm fully aware that this affection for storms was developed during my years as a lifeguard...when a dark sky would almost always clear out the beach...and the occasional lightning that followed would most definitely. Leaving us lifeguards to play and entertain ourselves in ways far less recommended by our boss (and if John is reading this, none of this is true.).

But now that I've been out of the guarding game, out of the swimming game and pretty much searching for new ways to fulfill what had been an ever-increasing boredom, I've come to find that the rain doesn't provide the sort of comfort and excitement it once did. Because riding a bike in the rain isn't as fun as playing blindfolded hide and go seek in a tiny guard shack. And tramping or trying to tramp up 1500-2000 metre peaks during a windy rainstorm, while exciting, is not a fun as making hot cocoa and dragging out week-long card games during a stormy streak.

Why all this talk of rain? Well, I'm pretty sure that's where I'm headed...or at least where Canterbury is headed...and i'm in Canterbury right now.

Craig and left for our trip down the West Coast and south towards Wanaka and Queenstown. Basically these are places that are almost essential for a traveler to explore if down in Kiwi-land. And we had big plans for our trip. We went to Franz Josef and tramped up a very high, very steep track in the rain (but also covered with trees) and realized how much we wanted to try and tackle higher peaks (that coupled with my new obsession with mountaineering really made me crazy for it). But unfortunately, when we got to Wanaka, the days turned to shite and we lost all hope for climbing the prospective moutain. So we returned home and played around Christchurch for a few days, built up my cannondale with some better componentry and have just enjoyed the last few days of break.

So why all the talk of rain??? Well it's raining again today. And the forecast says it's going to be raining all week. And I wish it weren't. I miss my bike. I miss tramping. I want to play outside and enjoy the blue skies and I can't. And the rain just doesn't give me the sort of satisfaction at turning away desperate patrons as it once did. And I guess I just find it interesting how one's perception of things can change...or even stay the same for a while.

More to come on the wet weather...

-NMK