Anne here, confessing that when I'm working on a book, I sometimes have to think twice about what season I'm in. It's what happens when you're in the writing cave. I live in the southern hemisphere, but communicate almost constantly with people in the northern hemisphere, so they're in winter and talking about ice and snow and blizzards and sending me pictures. I'm also very much in the season of the book — currently early Spring in England. So at times, when I go to take the dog for her daily walk, I'm surprised to find it's a warm and balmy summer evening.
It's also complicated because where I live, in Melbourne, Australia, we're famous (infamous?) for having four seasons in one day. It couldn't have been more true recently, where we went from roasting temperatures to an incredibly severe hailstorm, then to sunshine and blue skies and then cold again.
Hailstones as big as tennis balls
The hailstorm was one of the worst in years -- huge hailstones, bigger than I've ever seen. In fact the first I knew of the storm was a loud crack! on the roof. I thought kids were chucking stones onto the roof. But more followed, and when I looked up from the computer screen, the sky was really dark. (Pic source: The Age)
It took a moment to register what was happening because although my body was in an early afternoon in late summer, my mind was still caught up in the word of my current story, in a cold, late winter's night in Regency England. So the cold and the darkness seemed appropriate. Even the stones landing on the roof suited the story.
Then there was a blinding flash of lightning, followed immediately by a roar of thunder all around and the computer screen and everything else went black. No electricity. Then the heavens opened and the hail just pelted down. The air was white with it. Hailstones bounced off the car and slammed against the windows. I thought the windows might break, it was so loud and violent. But I didn't really believe they would. (Herald/Sun reader pic)
In minutes my front lawn was covered in large, icy white pebbles. For me, the hail was merely spectacular and exciting. And when it was followed by a torrential downpour and then heavy rain set in for the rest of the day, I was pleased, as we've been in drought for years. I had no idea of wider damage, such as this. (Herald/Sun reader pic)
I learned later I'd experienced the outer edge of the storm and people in the heart of it did have their windows -- even their car windows--and roofs smashed by hail. A huge amount of damage was done and many people were badly injured, traumatized and bruised by the huge balls of ice and the floods that followed. (Herald/Sun reader pic)
Holidaymakers in summer gear pelted by ice
It was a long weekend, our Labour Day holiday and in Melbourne we have a festival called Moomba. The city was thronging with holiday makers and children -- it's very much a family and child-friendly festival and, as I said, it was warm before the storm, so people were caught in their summer clothes and with no protection. .(Herald/Sun reader pic)
But some people always find a silver lining.
Undoubtedly it was a dreadful storm, and many people suffered as a result of it and they have my sincere sympathy. But I also love the way some people refuse to be daunted and take the storm and the floods that followed as an opportunity.
Why drive when you can kickboard?
Or kayack along the highway?
(Herald/Sun reader pic)
We don't get snow in Melbourne, but when it hails, we make hailmen and have hail fights. Because it would be a sin to waste it, you understand.
(Herald/Sun reader pics 1 & 2)
And if a big pile of ice falls on a holiday, especially a summer holiday, it's obviously been sent for A Good Reason, such as keeping your beer cold. (Herald/Sun reader pic)
And now the earth is soaked and fragrant in a way it hasn't been for months, and people are cleaning up the mess left after the storm. And I, blessedly free from storm damage, am back in Regency England, in late winter, wondering whether to give my characters a hail storm...
It seems to me that these freak storms of nature, whether seasonal or unseasonal, are becoming more frequent. What do you think? Had any crazy weather lately? And was there any silver lining?