Unseasonably good weather

As autumn fast approaches Seattle, supposedly the weather takes a decidedly bad turn. As the glow and warmth of summer fades, traditionally the damp, grey misery of the Seattle rainy season begins and turns the city’s residents into wet squibs. Or so I have been told by a sufficient number of people as to convince me of the reality of this impending seasonal wetness.

Mercifully, as yet this communal meteorological pessimism has yet to be proven right, as I have had more cause for sunglasses than my pac-a-mac. Incidentally some Americans refer to their raincoats as pac-a-ponchos, which I find a more disturbing concept than that of a geeky pac-a-mac.

This is primarily because a pac-a-poncho looks very similar to an over-sized version of those horrific plastic rain hoods that your Nan or Gran used to wear when it rained. In fact if you gave a tartan shopping trolley to any of these pac-a-poncho muppets, they would bear a passable resemblance to my own Nan.

Anyway we have just passed through the first week of October without any sign of the rain. The weather has been bright and crisp, filled with weak and hazy autumnal sunlight that has given the city an extended holiday atmosphere. Despite this surprising and enjoyable spell of fine weather, some Seattleites remain discontented.

This apparent break from the natural meteorological course is causing some in the city to wish for the rain. I have read letters in newspapers, overheard conversations and spoken to people who have all expressed this thought. Perhaps this attitudinal trend has formed the basis of dubbing Seattle as the ‘Rain City’ and the common sentiment that only wimps and tourists use umbrellas.

I for one am just pleased to encounter a community of people that discuss the weather with greater neurosis than the British. Aside from that I am also enjoying these glorious sunsets from my rooftop terrace. Who said that life in Seattle was good as long as you can adapt to the poor climate…