Just dancin’ in the rain

One of my most vivid childhood memories was the beginning of the monsoon in Thailand. I remember the almost unbearable humidity before the thunder echoed and flashes of lightning lit the overcast sky. Then, boom! The rains came, a massive waterfall cascading from the heavens above. We would run around the gardens, dancing in the torrents of water around us, oblivious to any sort of danger that the lightning might bring. I loved these thunderstorms and still do, the feeling of being cleansed, the power of Mother Nature washing away the oppressive heat in the most theatrical fashion. Last night bought it all back, we had a doozy of a show. I stood out under the balcony roof and watched the whole thing as it slowly moved south on its journey, leaving behind the sound of trees soaking up the much needed deluge and a deep sense of calm. Admittedly there was no dancing through the raindrops, I have a better sense of self-preservation as an adult but the cathartic feeling was still there. The dogs naturally went to bed, unimpressed by Mum’s need to watch such events.

Aside from sudden downpours, the dogs and I are settling more and more each day. We put a fence up halfway across the gardens in an attempt to keep the woofers out of trouble at the gate. Shrieking at dogs passing by is one of the highlights of their day so in an attempt to prevent any anxiety amongst the local chiens, we barricaded them in the bottom half of the grounds. Naturally it only took a few minutes for Gizmo, being small but mighty, to squeeze through the posts and show them all what they were missing. Then Arry and Gunner discovered a gap at the far end which defeated the whole purpose of the shield. I sometimes think it would be easier having chickens.

My car is finally due to arrive tomorrow which means I can finally go out and start updating my little home. After a couple of weeks of insomnia, I woke the other morning and ordered a new bed online. Thanks be to the Gods that Ikea has tentacles everywhere. I’ve started priming the bedroom walls so next stop is finding the right colour for each room and hopefully it won’t be too long before the builder puts the new floor tiles down. With a new bank account, car insurance and hopefully better internet by the end of next week, life is starting to get more organised. One of my neighbours has also offered to run with me and Arry once the Autumn temperatures settle in, a relief as I really didn’t want to let my poor sense of direction guide us.

There is a quote by Vivian Greene, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”. For me, it sums up so much of what I have gone through over the last couple of years and I’ve learnt just about every dance. Moving to France was a huge leap of faith but with each day I’m starting to feel a little bit more at peace. Sometimes you just have to put on your tap shoes….

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain” (Unknown)