My Cup Runneth Over

Life is full of surprises. There has been so much talk about climate change recently that we never expected to be surrounded by water in the middle of May. Rivers are rushing along through every adjacent valley , and even the tiny La Primelle stream at the bottom of our forest road is a veritable cascade. The past few weeks seem to have been dominated by lowering grey clouds, and heavy rain storms , culminating last evening in a thunderstorm which was so violent that we were roused from our sleep. What is going on?

We know that this is an unusual pattern. Normally by mid May we will have been using our pool (albeit heated) for a couple of weeks at the very least. This year we decided to take the plunge (literally ) in early May, so B. began to prepare the pool. Alas we have barely swum, for the rain has fallen ever since. It's ironic really. As summer advances, we normally grow anxious as the water evaporates and the level of the pool drops, wondering whether we will be permitted to use precious water to top it up. After all, swimming is a 'lifesaver' in this climate. This year however, we have seen quite the reverse. After last night's storms, the pool was almost overflowing, and we even had to siphon some water off.

So can we breathe a sigh of relief over climate change? Of course not. Our insurance agency, while sending us warning texts about floods and storms, is also plying us with advice on how to avoid forest fires. What is certain is that our climate is changing, and from now on our weather patterns will remain unpredictable.

But for this year at least I shall enjoy the fact that our source is gurgling away , and the large underground storage tank that supplies two households with water is full. Even if the source dries up, it should see us through to winter . Moreover, while I still fret about our diminishing wild life , the golden orioles have returned from Africa, and our woods are filled with their mellifluous song.