Stormy weather

Crikey, it's a horrid day. Wet, cold, scattered thunderstorms, a random hailstorm yesterday. My idea of a good storm is lots of heat induced thunder and lightning, not this blustery winter crap.

One day not long after I moved to the farm, when Georgia and I were out walking we left the farm track and ventured across a paddock we hadn't explored before. In doing so I hadn't noticed we had gone behind a hill and could not see the Vodafone tower on top of the highest hill in the forest near us. It's a prominent landmark. Georgia became mildly nervous, nothing obvious but she had a firmer grip on my hand and seemed to be constantly looking around for something.

I was concerned that a huge black cloud seemed to be heading our way and it was quickly getting dark.

Georgia agreed that we turn for home, that we didn't want to get soaked.

She was still clinging to my hand and looking around and she seemed a bit tense.

I started to wonder what was bothering her. Thinking it was the dark cloud, I told her not worry, we could wait under some trees if she wanted. She informed me she wasn't scared of a bit of rain and we carried on.

As we came out of a paddock on to the track again her hand relaxed, her whole body relaxed, and she said, “There it is!” I followed her eyes and she was looking at the tower. I realized then how tense she had been, she had lost sight of her beacon, her direction for finding her way home. For a minute I thought she didn't have much faith in her granny to look after her and get her home safely.

Then I realized it was because she had such trust in me that she carried on with me regardless of her fear.

She obviously forgot about the lost tower pretty quickly but the storm clouds must have stayed on her mind.

A few days later she looked out my window and said, “Clouds are coming. Do you know how to tell if a cloud is a rain cloud, Granny?
If it gets darker and fluffy around the edges it might be.
If it comes closer it might be.
If it comes closer and gets darker you can be pretty sure.
And if it rains, you know!”

Georgia is a couple of years older and much wiser now. She wouldn't have to look twice at today's sky to know we are in for a bit more rainy weather.