may already

It's the middle of May, and it's still the greatest April of all. When I was a kid, Aprils were always exemplary. The weather changed hourly, it rained, then the sun came out, it was windy and tropical, miserable and brilliant – almost every day and sometimes at the same time. There wasn't much to like about the continual rain, especially if we wanted to play football in the park, but the variety kept our attention and the spectacle of change was often magnificent when watched from inside.

Since I left Germany, Aprils have become a distant memory. I know and will never forget what the month is supposed to be like, but I haven't experienced one since. In Utah, except for frequent snowstorms in winter, it was always sunny. In Grenoble, it was similar, though less dry. In London, the weather comes in discrete blocks of substantial length. Sometimes, the quintessential light drizzle hangs in the air for weeks. Then the sun shines for weeks as if England had gone on vacation to the Costa del Sol. In Winter, there are long weeks of skies so grey even the clouds aren't visible.

This is how it used to be, but the latest block of weather, fine and dry, ended a good four weeks ago when the Met Office declared a drought after two years of no rain, more or less. As soon as they did, things changed, which is how it always is, without fail. When it's warm for two days, a heat wave is declared, ensuring that the following weekend will be cold and drab. When the Met Office issued a severe cold weather warning this February, the mildest winter on record followed the few bitterly cold days. It's as if the weather follows the Met Office's predictions and sets out to spite them.

Consequently, there hasn't been a dry day since the drought was declared. What has replaced the dryness isn't just rain, though. There hasn't been a day without sun, either. Both sun and rain do their job with vigor and in fierce competition. In other words, it's been a perfect April. I have to schedule my walk home carefully to fit them between downpours. I have even modified my route to pass by the most grocery stores possible, so that I can step in (and buy dinner) when the rain hits hard. It is rare indeed that I get home without food.

The April weather shows no sign of letting up. My Yahoo! widget keeps showing me all meteorological pictograms in the book. The rain is chasing the sun like a cat its own tail. And yet, it's not April anymore. It's May and despite having run out of contract, I'm still here. In an impressive display of last-minute paper-pushing, an extension was approved that will keep me employed and, indirectly, in my flat and with food on the table until the next step is taken. But despite the wonderful weather, entertaining and full of memories, I can't wait to move on.