I CAN SMELL THE RAIN!!          - 23/3/2015      <--Prev : Next-->

So many people have commented on the recent rainstorms in Bulawayo!!

I feel it is worthy of expansion; rain in Bulawayo is like no other rain on earth I am sure...

It's the smell of the African Rain that is so poignant, so special, and so precious. Always warm, always welcome - dancing in the rain is a common Matabele syndrome. The smell of the rain on the hot tarmac, the feel of the warm stinging rain on the face or that gentle continuous downpour that lulls you into sleep glorious sleep.

One minute the sky is bright blue and sunny and the next minute the clouds have massed and dumped their bounteous beauty in bucketful's.

That legendary 'Monkey's wedding' is so thrillingly familiar..

Now there is rain... and there is rain,
our rain varies so dramatically and always keeps us guessing. The short sharp thunderstorms are pretty scary. That dramatic lightning, that amazing rumbling thunder that starts far away and then creeps up on you and blasts your eardrums! That wicked lightning that takes out one's electrical items in one fell swoop!

Then that fearsome thunder rumbles off into the distance, leaving behind steaming ground, delicious puddles and gleaming greenery.

How well we all remember those divine humps in Borrow Street where giant mounds of water would emanate from the car tyres, the Grey Street Cowboys would venture down to Borrow Street to puddle race!! They have been removed now, probably fortunately and Borrow Street aka Samuel Parienyatwa is now like any other banal city street worldwide.

In reply to a photo posted on Facebook, of rain drenching the Suburbs last week - Margie Mason said 'Nothing quite like Bulawayo rain', Colin Jennings said ' Remember how the water would build up on "Harold's Corner", adjacent to Haddon and Sly, after rain like that Miss it all! '

Peter Williams said 'always will remember the smell of fresh rain on hot tarmac! '

Liz Evans said ' Aw and the magic smell!!!! ' Janine Duff said ' Love that African smell. I soooooo miss that.'

The rains have not been so good this year, we Matabeles all live in terror of that dreaded ten year drought cycle, but every storm, every downpour, even every single tiny drop, is so welcome and so wonderful.

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