Rainbows End to End

The weather is always a popular topic of conversation. But never before have I lived in a place where so many people are wishing for rain and discuss the odds on a day to day basis. On one hand it has been wonderful to experience so much sunshine, but living in an area where most of us rely on our tanks to be filled by water from the heavens above, most of us are praying for a few more heavy grey clouds. Having experienced another few days where nothing happens when you turn on those taps, it certainly teaches us and the children a lesson that we can't always take for granted those precious resources we rely on so much.

There was a bit of hope earlier on in the week. I was greeted at school by fils 2 & 3 fired up with anticipation for a dramatic hailstorm. The headmaster had visited each class that day with a warning of hail stones possibly up to 3cm in diameter heading our way and strict guidelines for all the children to return to their classrooms immediately if they started dropping at break time. We looked up at the sky but it was as blue as the eyes of our fils that eagerly looked up searching for them. The storm was doubtful, at least in our patch, but by the time we crossed the playground to the car park, the size of the expected hail had apparently trebled in size as the children greeted their parents with the news of the possible storm . Talk of hail as big as cricket balls raining down on the school playing field was flying around and I felt that if our storm had ever materialised there would have been fat chance of any child rushing indoors immediately for cover. Oh no they would have stood out there marveling at the event and willing to take the risk of being knocked out by God's marbles as fils 4 charmingly put it!

Sadly no marbles ever fell to fill our tank but we were rewarded by a short shower this morning which produced a fantastic rainbow. Since coming to New Zealand we have not stopped exclaiming over the rainbows and how we can often manage to see them end to end. None of our family had ever experienced the sight of a full rainbow in England. It seems to be the norm here and many people are surprised by our wonder. I often stop the car so that we can pull up and exclaim at them like a family out of an Enid Blyton novel on a picnic. They are truly beautiful though and I sincerely hope that they will never be a sight that becomes blasé to us.