Ruled By The Weather.

This weekend was weather-wise a total washout. That is the problem with Scandinavian spring; it's timing is always off. We can have a warm working week and a rainy weekend. One can never be sure of the sunshine. Weather is often a heavily discussed topic and it rules our lives up here north to a certain degree. Forget planning any parties or any celebrations outside, it can be a gorgeous warm summer day on a Friday, but comes Saturday, it will rain and be very cold. I remember discussing this with a Spanish born woman, that lived in Belgium. She told me, how surprised she was upon moving to Brussels, to find everyone always discussing the weather at work. This was something unheard off in Spain, where the weather is stable and rarely a topic for a conversation. However after years living there she now understand how an unstable climate can rule one's life. She too now turns on the TV in the morning just to watch the weather forecast, like everyone else.

So, as a back up plan I always have a few activities that I save for those rainy weekends. Here is my top five list over things to do on a rainy spring Sunday:

1. Sleep long.
2. Watch favorite romantic movies (or right now all those 250 channels on my TV).
3. Organize my wardrobe and try on new and old summer clothes so I am ready for warm days when the sunshine returns.
4. Sort out my pictures and photographs.
5. Make myself a hot cup of coffee and just look out of my windows and rest my eyes on the beauty of nature, while day-dreaming.

There you have it. Those Sundays are actually quiet relaxing.

Below is my weekly update on the growing clematis. The changes are not as obvious as previously, but upon a closer examination, the difference a week has made is noticeable nevertheless.