Mistress Fickle - The British Weather

Mistress Fickle, the British Weather

has a daily ritual.

She sits down every morning with her cuppa

and peers into her world below.

She slowly enjoys her cuppa,  reads a bit of paper

Then, her tea leaves contemplate...

Should today be about the blazing sun, the chilly wind, 

the gentle drizzle or the angry hail?
Undecided, she purses her lips and furrows her beautiful brow.

Then, breaks into a jubilant smile, when everything becomes clear.

Why? This is no hard problem;

The world can taste all of her delights

All in one splendid go!

Oh, Mistress Fickle, Mistress of my Soul!


I was told the British weather is a topic so close to the British's hearts, that conversations about it can run endlessly.  Which is a total surprise to me really, 'cause I can see no fascination in a topic that can be summed up in a question and answer - 

Q: So, what's the weather like today? / going to be like tomorrow/next 2 days etc?
A: It's gonna ________________ (fill in the blank with the following: rain, hail, blaze, be cloudy/windy etc)


And for that, one can easily refer to the weather services on Internet or the UK Met service.  

And I suppose if anyone really wants to say more about the weather, the next logical useful thing would be to consider what weather implements one should venture outdoors with - a brollie, a raincoat, wellingtons etc...


To go on any further about this topic seems to me to be an exercise in superfluous, inane conversation, with a mind on filling time rather than meaningful interaction.  A superficial discourse to expend with an acquaintance or to hold someone at length and not get any closer... 

Or so I thought, before I came to stay in England.


When you become a resident in this land governed by Mistress Fickle, you learn to respect her powers and consult the weather forecasts before you plan your day's activity. The other effect is that one becomes almost immune to the weather and does not let it deter you from your plans, because after a few weeks of wallowing in misery over the perpetual grey skies or unpredictable weather, one is soon hit by the realisation that one can't control Mistress Fickle anyway. So, one just puts on whatever attire and brings whatever implements necessary and goes on with one's plans.

I had learnt these lessons after settling in here for a few months, even if I still hate grey skies and Mistress Fickle.  And it is with great amusement, as I observe my parents' astonishment at the rapidly changing patterns from one extreme to the other and their reactions as they try to anticipate Mistress Fickle.

Our Saturday's barbecue plans were in peril. The skies have been showing gathering streaks of grey before opening up into a soft drizzle.  The parents were dismayed; we had prepared a lot of food and have my sister's future in-laws coming for this long-planned gathering.  Henry and Ben (my sister's bf) were nonplussed, simply taking out the huge golf umbrella to shelter the barbecue pit. The food turned out well, despite the unfriendly weather. The rain stopped for a bit, and everyone walked out to enjoy the cool air in the garden and we were in better spirits. And a few minutes later, the rain sent everyone scuttling back in... At night, the parents complained of the cold and went around the house all wrapped in longs and woolly socks. 


The next morning, the sun shone brightly, before turning grey and rainy a few hours later.  We did our washing nevertheless and hung them indoors. By afternoon, when we returned from our outing, the sun was out again. My mum, like all Singaporeans used to the sun, jubilantly brought the washing out despite our strong recommendations not to. And before you know it, a shout "Rain" was raised and we all scrambled to bring the washing in.


Today, the sun blazed without mercy and we put out fresh washing once more. When we suggested going out, my mum was reluctant, wanting to stay at home to watch over the washing instead. When we finally persuaded her to come along, she insisted on keeping the laundry. Well, from my few months of experience, I was sure it would not rain. I had moved from layering up the past few days to just wearing my short-sleeved top and loose, short pants today. And our sweat pores were working overtime too! But no, Mum is bent on keeping the washing and Dad was bent on wearing a pullover and bringing his waterproof jacket. So, out we trooped with the attire and weather implements of our choice...  


Throughout our outing, there was not a single grey cloud or a drop of rain. And Mum could not help moaning over the fact that she should have left the laundry out in the sun... while Dad staunchly kept his pullover on.

So, what would Mum do next time about the laundry when we head out? I think she is going to continue to be conflicted about Mistress Fickle and will probably still end up being bent by Her Mightiness' power - either keep the clothes or stay in to watch over the washing :)