Monday, June 29, 2009
The Scots word dreich best describes the weather pattern we’ve endured in Maine since our return from Islay on June 1: bleak, dreary, miserable, dismal and cheerless. According to Bath, Maine Weather, (http://bathmaineweather.com/ ) 7.99 inches of rain have fallen throughout 16 days this month. ‘My Corner of Maine’ blogger Paula (http://maineliving.blogspot.com/) recalls only 3 sunny days all month. Today’s “forecast-at-a-glance” is worded thusly: “cool temps” (mostly around 58-60° F or 10°-15° C) “clouds, drizzle, rain likely, chance of showers, fog and/or mist” all the way through July 6th at which time, temps may rise to 76° F (24.4°C).
The weather has traditionally been the conventional topic of conversation among Mainers as was true today with much grumbling and dismay that our long-awaited beautiful summer is not likely to arrive until mid-July, if at all. And in the blink-of-an-eye, following our 4th of July Independence Day celebration, another long and dreich Maine winter will again be nipping at our heels; all very tiresome and dispiriting stuff that sends my mind journeying back to Islay and the warm sunny days that graced our May holiday there.
Although we experienced some cool, windy, misty days on Islay, our time was finished out with sunshine, warmth and bright, astonishingly blue morning skies, the likes of which I’d never seen before. I would awaken at dawn to find a sky bursting with the noonday brilliance of our New England summers.
As I sat here in our chilly, damp, musty cottage in Kittery Pt. Maine, wearing a fleece pull-over and woolen socks, bemoaning the deprivation of sun and sandals, I visited Armin Grewe’s wonderful Islay blog http://www.islayblog.com/ and read of the lovely summer being enjoyed there. The photos of bathers cooling off in Port Ellen waters give the appearance of a tropical paradise. The videos of the recent Islay Beach Rugby Tournament show the enviable bare-footed lads and lassies frolicking in the sand wearing wee tees and shorts. Armin mentions his fatigue from the “heat wave” that temporarily sidelines his writing, an impressive 23.4° C (nearly 75° F) in Port Ellen (30° C, 86° F forecast for mainland UK). Finally he writes about the Ileachs’ anticipation of cooler evenings that usher in spectacular summer sunsets, photos of which Armin featured on today’s blog. Lovely!
Perhaps the only way to remedy my Maine dreich is to plan a return trip to Islay and begin counting down the days till Michael and I behold the extraordinary beauty of her radiant skies, sandy beaches, craggy hills, pristine lochs, lush green fields, her friendly faces, gently lilting voices, her eager, helpful hearts, and her ever-sunny frame of mind. Dian a thoiseach! (God willing!)
© Jacqueline Small
The Scots word dreich best describes the weather pattern we’ve endured in Maine since our return from Islay on June 1: bleak, dreary, miserable, dismal and cheerless. According to Bath, Maine Weather, (http://bathmaineweather.com/ ) 7.99 inches of rain have fallen throughout 16 days this month. ‘My Corner of Maine’ blogger Paula (http://maineliving.blogspot.com/) recalls only 3 sunny days all month. Today’s “forecast-at-a-glance” is worded thusly: “cool temps” (mostly around 58-60° F or 10°-15° C) “clouds, drizzle, rain likely, chance of showers, fog and/or mist” all the way through July 6th at which time, temps may rise to 76° F (24.4°C).
The weather has traditionally been the conventional topic of conversation among Mainers as was true today with much grumbling and dismay that our long-awaited beautiful summer is not likely to arrive until mid-July, if at all. And in the blink-of-an-eye, following our 4th of July Independence Day celebration, another long and dreich Maine winter will again be nipping at our heels; all very tiresome and dispiriting stuff that sends my mind journeying back to Islay and the warm sunny days that graced our May holiday there.
Although we experienced some cool, windy, misty days on Islay, our time was finished out with sunshine, warmth and bright, astonishingly blue morning skies, the likes of which I’d never seen before. I would awaken at dawn to find a sky bursting with the noonday brilliance of our New England summers.
As I sat here in our chilly, damp, musty cottage in Kittery Pt. Maine, wearing a fleece pull-over and woolen socks, bemoaning the deprivation of sun and sandals, I visited Armin Grewe’s wonderful Islay blog http://www.islayblog.com/ and read of the lovely summer being enjoyed there. The photos of bathers cooling off in Port Ellen waters give the appearance of a tropical paradise. The videos of the recent Islay Beach Rugby Tournament show the enviable bare-footed lads and lassies frolicking in the sand wearing wee tees and shorts. Armin mentions his fatigue from the “heat wave” that temporarily sidelines his writing, an impressive 23.4° C (nearly 75° F) in Port Ellen (30° C, 86° F forecast for mainland UK). Finally he writes about the Ileachs’ anticipation of cooler evenings that usher in spectacular summer sunsets, photos of which Armin featured on today’s blog. Lovely!
Perhaps the only way to remedy my Maine dreich is to plan a return trip to Islay and begin counting down the days till Michael and I behold the extraordinary beauty of her radiant skies, sandy beaches, craggy hills, pristine lochs, lush green fields, her friendly faces, gently lilting voices, her eager, helpful hearts, and her ever-sunny frame of mind. Dian a thoiseach! (God willing!)
© Jacqueline Small
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