The British and the Weather



Neighbours' children playing after the rain

It’s been a very long time since our last blog post, but in that time we’ve moved house, passed level 2 Portuguese and had no less than three colleagues staying with us including the intrepid Brad and Ruth Biddulph (BMS Zimbabwe) and our first BMS Mozambique team member, Annet Ttendo. Geoff has travelled as far as Harare in search of a good answer to mulching maize and I (Christine) have discovered that, after days and days of ridiculously hot weather (i.e. a heat index over 50°C), I need a jumper on as soon as I go anywhere with air conditioning!

Well, this takes me nicely onto the theme of today’s post…

I thought when I left Britain that the standard conversations about the weather were firmly behind me.  After all, what is there to discuss in a country where the weather apparently alters very little beyond day after day of glorious unbroken sunshine?

So you can imagine my disgust that nearly every day here in Mozambique there is some sort of discussion about the weather. What’s more, the weather is linked to everything: It’s the cold in winter (25°C) that means that you have a cold (of the runny nose variety). Of course, the summer heat causes the same.  In winter, people cannot be found outside their houses because of the cold; in summer they’re at home resting because of the heat.  And of course, you should all be warned of the dangers of wearing a red top in a thunderstorm (it’s fatal, you know!)

Our kids have the same idea!

However, the ‘hot’ weather topic at the moment is no different from back in the UK:  RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!  Recent comments include: ‘It’s been too long since the last rain’ (the rains have been very late this year), ‘The amount of rain received is too small’ (i.e. it won’t help the crops), ‘The amount of rain received is too big’ (i.e. the dirt roads are flooded and cars keep getting stuck in mud).

After our last blog post, far too long ago I apologise, we are pleased to say that actually rain has at last started to arrive and just in time for some of the wilting rice in the fields. And so far not too much flooding!  Yes, there is the occasional car stuck in mud but overall things aren’t too bad and I haven’t heard of people sleeping on their dining tables yet (which is what happens when houses flood properly.)

To finish I feel I must give a short update about the cyclone that affected people that live just a short way from Beira.  We were delighted to hear that the local government had given some seed to affected areas near us and although the rains have been late this year I guess it means the late planting of crops was not as disastrous as it could have been. We thank God for the way in which people have begun to rebuild their lives.

I think that is enough weather talk for now.  So what is the weather like there?  Is it spring yet?

P.S. Brad and Ruth’s most recent blog post says a little about our life in Beira, if you’re interested, you can find it by clicking here.