The Baynhams

The weather this last few weeks has been so extreme. We have had unbelievable heat, particularly on one day where it hit 49.5 C. Then came the rain and the floods this week. Luckily we have not been too badly affected. We just battened down the hatches and let the wind and rain do it's worst while we stayed cuddled up safe inside. The only sign of the house struggling with the wet was the rain water running down the inside brick wall of the garage. Luckily that was all and it never got anywhere inside the house. The TV footage of people loosing their homes and sometimes their lives was more than enough to give us a sense of perspective.

As the rain cleared today we went down to the local park next to the lake to let Gareth and his friend burn off some energy. It was a fabulous day and I stopped at the shops for ice-creams for the kids. We watched the clouds race across the sky and in the distance saw a big dark cloud form. Minutes later it appeared to be racing towards the shore. The kids laughed and pointed and said how it looked like a cloud from a movie. Then the wind picked up and went from a gentle breeze to a mini tornado in about 60 seconds. The water whipped up on the lake and the girls hair flew wildly about their heads. Even the ice-creams couldn't take it and were literally blowing off the sticks!

The kids stood there, laughing and leaning into the wind and letting it take their weight. They whooped and shouted with all their might into the wind only to have their words whipped from their mouths before they could be fully formed. As we felt the first few rain drops hit our faces we turned and ran to the car for shelter. By the time we got the doors open the rain was pelting us and we sat laughing and out of breath as the rain drummed on the windows. It really was fun to see how the young can be so brave and so fearless. I loved the Amelia Barr quote I found for my photo. It really sums up how the kids were today, facing the storm and defying it with joy and abandon. I truly hope that they will learn to continue living their lives like that!