I always vowed that should I ever moan about the mild Irish weather and “soft” days, then I might go back to SA.
Simple really, just like most people here in Ireland get quite excited about 2 days of sunshine in a row, so too do the farmers and people from the Great Karoo when they are blessed with a bit of rain.
So having had the fortunes of living in both weather extremes, I can today categorically confirm that sun beats rain.
No brainer says you, but take into consideration that the Great Karoo is always sunny, and at the height of it could be 45 degrees in the shade with water not even there to evaporate.
I never acclimatised to that heat and weather, but did enjoy like so many playing, laughing, singing and splashing with my bare feet in the welcome reprieve that was a drop of rain.
So after 14 years of never complaining about Irish Weather, I am now finally ready to take my next step not only in this walk, but indeed in my journey of becoming proudly Irish.
“Ah Jaysus, what about that weather. Will the rain just ever go away!”