me: Favourite weather

The wind just before the onset of a long storm is my favourite weather moment. The skies are usually a shade of mild grey – indicating a sudden tropical storm; or else a hue of angry reddish grey – a malicious storm which had been brewing and ready to unleash its worst.

My old house by the sea is a natural stage to watch a storm come in. We have a wide balcony along the whole length of the house which gives a panoramic view of the sea. I have had many moments in my old house but those involving the winds riding upon the oncoming storms are most impacting.

The storm sequence is always the same, but as the drama unfolds, the strong sense of awe never fails to overwhelm me every time.

The colour of the skies and seas changes from bright blue to an angry red over the course of the day and the temperature noticeably drops. These happen as quickly as in the wink of the eye or may sneak up unnoticed on lazy Sunday afternoons. Sometimes these warnings are just false alarms. But the onset of the storm winds is always indicative and heralds the incoming storm.

The storm winds are fierce and howling – forcing themselves into every nook and cranny of the old house. They are not meek at all and will fill the house with shrill whistles and howls. They are may be invisible to the naked eye, but their presence is not missed as they slam the doors hard and without warning or dance with stray papers in the middle of the living room. They can even hurt you if you have your fingers caught between the door and its frame.

Once there was a blackout in midst of a storm itself – the entire house was cast in darkness of a reddish hue and flashes of lighting lit the house periodically. The winds filled the house entirely and called it their own. A glimpse of what hell may be. I was home alone and huddled in the arms of our then domestic worker – both of us trying not to whimper out aloud. Two lost children. I was probably not of 8 years old then.

Anyway, it has been raining the whole weekend now.

If I am in my old house now, I would, as if I was in a theatre, snuggle up on the deck chair in the balcony, with a cup of piping milk tea and enjoy nature at her most primal.

On a side note: As much as I would like to keep every posting focused to one topic, I do have too many thoughts running amok in my mind.

I miss my old house very much. But can we handle the memories if we moved back? It carries the happiest and most painful moments for both entire my family and I.