When I arrived in Auckland (New Zealand) as a fresh-faced and innocent 18-year old over a decade ago, I was determined to do everything my way, which means I checked into a backpacker hostel. There was a woman at the desk who welcomed me to the hostel and to the country. I don't remember her exact words, however as people do, we talked briefly. About New Zealand, about my flight, about the facilities at the hostel, about the weather...
Yes, I'm very happy to be here... My flight was fine, thanks... Yes, I've been here before... No, I don't need a map, I know the city... What I do remember is that she mentioned that Auckland weather was like four seasons in one day. Seeing I'd lived in Auckland before (and was raised by a Kiwi!), I readily agreed and thought she'd come up with a very clever way to describe Auckland's weather. The words sounded familiar too... What I found out later was that the woman at the hostel didn't come up with those words on her own - she'd been listening to a Crowded House song entitled - you guesses it - Four Seasons In One Day.
Four seasons in one day
Lying in the depths of your imagination
Worlds above and worlds below
The sun shines on the black clouds hanging over the Domain
Even when you're feeling warm
The temperature could drop away
Like four seasons in one day
Yesterday felt and looked like a day with four seasons in one day. Not the Auckland kind, mind, but the Dutch kind. From sunshine and a blue sky with some fluffy clouds to a white-grey dreary-looking cloud cover to a brief hail storm to blue sky again to rain to a beautiful rainbow - yesterday was a day of contrasts. While the rainbow reminded me of the story of Noah, the hail reminded me of the Ten Plagues and the Exodus, rather appropriate for Passover:
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.'
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of Egypt.
Exodus 9: 22, 23
I'm still playing around with my rainbow photos (and might share them, if I like the 'creations' I come up with!), however this photo of the raindrops on my window I wanted to share today. We definitely live in an enormously beautiful, amazing and awe-inspiring world, something that is all too easy to forget. Perhaps we should have more days with 'Four seasons in one day' to remind us of the beauty all around us!
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| Raindrops | Nimavenl |
