Raining Cats And Dogs

This sucks and there is nothing I can do about it. The more I face it the more I just have to come to terms that the weather is the one and only life ingredient that is beyond my control. It has got its own way of rulling the world. But this is summer and every summer there is a rain entry popping up. I just never imagined it would have been so early.

The weatherman did use the word Autumn and that just triggers me. It makes me go into a mode that is very hard to snap out of. On top of that are most e-newspapers only filled up with wonderful grey pics of Belgian beaches and do they have many news coverage about this so depressing wet object. I try to ignore all of this but it is hard. Today I even announced I am going to get out my winter outfits and that I am going to wear one of my shirts that I only get out when it is below 15 degrees Celcius.

Worst of all is that P is on Summer vacation for the moment. Not that this means that no work gets done by his precious doc hands. He just then slows down a bit and then hangs around the house. Yes, he is then seriously in the way of things. No, that he for the moment is back at the hospital being a very useful doc does not even fill me up with anger. He will feel so much more cheerful when coming back and then we might be able to face the rain armed with an umbrella.

Still, I do try to come up with some advantages of this weather. It is one way of trying to stay a bit training your mind not to get overcasted and that your dark side takes over the rest of the summer. Had to think a very long time before these showed up in my mind. But these are according to Stallie a few advantages of having no tropical temperatures and facing heatwaves in Belgium during the summer:

- no mosquito bites. They always are after me and A! Seems like the two of us are blessed with very sweet blood. I wonder how Edward Cullen w do if he would ever meet up with me. I just hope then that Carlisle is close by to call him off!

- no wasps close by your favorite summer drink. I HATE WASPS!! I have this very painful encounter under my belt with these black and yellow flying objects. The allergic reaction that one bite did caused me still haunts me when I see one of these trying to creep into my glass of coke or other sunny cocktails. So that these cold temperatures mean that they don't stand a chance does make me smile!

- no sleepless nights because of the heat. P and I are noctural types. We like to stay up rather late but once we decide to sleep we do want to fall asleep asap. The heat is then for sure in the way. I then almost dress up for a day at the beach and imagine that I am lying on a tropical sandy beach with palm trees does sometime help to make me close my eyes for a longer then 10 minutes. If I need something stronger then I think: massage, tanning, oil, lovely hands going up and down my back! LOL But for the moment I am ever tempted to get out my thermal underwear and do I sleep just the hours away easily once I hit the pillow.

- no Smog-alert on the roads. Belgium is blessed with tons of roads and their highways are quite popular to hang out at. But the moment the temperatures are going up the heat on these road will go up as well. Once there is no breeze cooling us down the SMOG traffic signs are turned around that we only can drive 90 km/h. Meaning that the traffic jams become even longer and that we have got more accidents out there. That there are now tons of major road works going on is already a hazzle but that we at least can still drive 120km/h when we get passed them makes me feel kind of upbeat.

- no line at the icecream shop and enough flavors to chose from! Ha!!! That is the best of all. P, A and I are very big ice cream lovers. One drawer of out freezer only contains this frozen delicacy. That we do not have a hard time to get our hands on our favorite kind, flavor, brand, etc does make it a bit eassier to get through the rainy days. I am for the moment into sorbets and the 'raket. The last one is considered for small kids but I do not care. That there also always seats enough to chose from at my favorite ice cream parlor just makes me feel so much lighter.

Uhm, I do try to think positive about the very wet weather. But that the weather forecast looks rather gloomy and grey for quite some time does make it a bit harder. On top of that are there so many friends and family (even my godchild E is hanging out in a swimming pool of a Tuscany villa!!!!) abroad where there is sunshine. Yes, I will be a bit envious of their tanned skin once they are back.

One look at the calendar also tells me that the weather is not going to be something positive to talk about. Because our national holiday is nearing. The 21st of July does stand for 'drache nationale' in this 'surrealistic' nation. Cook outs will be canceled, summer festivals will end up in the mud, troops will be parading in the pouring rain and Albert II of Belgium his army uniform will get soaked. It will be raining cats and dogs!!! Fun, fun!!!

I bet that his son Laurent (a very big dog lover!) might not be that sad that he did year not get invited to this spectacle. At least he did get a tan while being over in Congo. Compared to him and many 'smart' Belgian tourists abroad I do look rather like a pigmy. Please be so kind to me and do not make any comments about the fact that your skin is peeling away because at least you got some vitamine D and that does matter so much when you try to think positive. In case you are looking for me you do know where to find me: the frozen food department or the Haägen Dazs shop down Louiza in Brussels. I am the one with a biggest 'coupe' with whipped cream on top!

P.S.: The folowing music is a remix of the #1 rain song by Gazebo. This word reminds me of very sunny days in Ohio while sitting outside having breakfast or dinner under the roof of these cool architectual gems that brighten up your day. Chopin also can help me to chase away the rain for about 3 minutes. Record time!