Challenge Two hundred and ninety-five: Talk about the weather (283 words)
A mundane topic, talking about the weather, but if you insist...
I spent most of my youth in England, and every Englishman knows and loves the English climate; it is cold and more often than not, wet. We lament the lack of sun when we are there, yet when we leave, we miss the mists and early morning dews that it brings; the freshness it produces. I do myself, having been posted in parts of our empire that have been quite the opposite of England in terms of weather: Gibraltar, India and now Jamaica. Some compatriots find the heat oppressive when they first arrive in Port Royal; having already spent several summers in India (where you begin to sweat even as you climb out of the bath tub you were bathing in to cool down), I was quite prepared for it.
A good day for sailing in the West Indies means strong winds and clear skies. The weather here in general changes little; it is warm all year round. The one obstacle to the optimum sailing conditions in this part of the world is the storm season in the summer months. The tropical storms and hurricanes are severe and destructive, whether you're on solid ground or at sea. They will make matchstick wood out of ships and smash windows with the strength of their winds.
When the storms pass, I supervise the repairs being made to our fleet and miss England for its comparatively mild showers. At Christmas time, I watch ladies fan themselves at the church services and remember that London is covered in snow. Thinking about it, I'm quite struck by how something as mundane as the weather can evoke homesickness.
I spent most of my youth in England, and every Englishman knows and loves the English climate; it is cold and more often than not, wet. We lament the lack of sun when we are there, yet when we leave, we miss the mists and early morning dews that it brings; the freshness it produces. I do myself, having been posted in parts of our empire that have been quite the opposite of England in terms of weather: Gibraltar, India and now Jamaica. Some compatriots find the heat oppressive when they first arrive in Port Royal; having already spent several summers in India (where you begin to sweat even as you climb out of the bath tub you were bathing in to cool down), I was quite prepared for it.
A good day for sailing in the West Indies means strong winds and clear skies. The weather here in general changes little; it is warm all year round. The one obstacle to the optimum sailing conditions in this part of the world is the storm season in the summer months. The tropical storms and hurricanes are severe and destructive, whether you're on solid ground or at sea. They will make matchstick wood out of ships and smash windows with the strength of their winds.
When the storms pass, I supervise the repairs being made to our fleet and miss England for its comparatively mild showers. At Christmas time, I watch ladies fan themselves at the church services and remember that London is covered in snow. Thinking about it, I'm quite struck by how something as mundane as the weather can evoke homesickness.