Wow – it is chucking down rain! Buckets are pouring! The wind is ripping! For mild old England, it’s a positive storm.
Zsolt informed me yesterday that a cyclone was stirring off the coast, and we’d be seeing the influence for a few days. But I love a good rain storm. In Canada we used to sit on the porch during a really good storm and watch the lightening. Once it cracked the tree opposite our house; mind you, we were all asleep at the time, not watching (thank goodness), but the incredibly loud bang woke everyone up.
It’s quite rare to see lightening in Southampton, but a good storm is a good storm regardless. I always think that the rain is cleansing – like it washes away all the bad you’ve been through. Though the very best is when the sun shines as the rain falls, now that is something special.
It’s breast cancer awareness month. A whole month devoted to breasts. Boob-o-rama.
Apart from this blog, I’m not sure how to contribute. Maybe by suggesting to all younger women readers (I can probably count all of you on my two hands) to check your breasts, for goodness sake. Okay I know – at our age problems are unlikely, but also at our age there is no annual scan to help detect a problem. So yes, you are probably fine. Very most likely. BUT checking your breasts, whether they are smooth, bumpy, swollen, or whatever, means you’ll know what is/isn’t normal. According to this website it’s good to check about the same time each month (1 weekish after your period). I’ll link a video below with more instructions – but be warned, you will see boobs.
Worst comes to worse, you go into the clinic with a concern and see what’s it’s like to be squirted with ultrasound lube. Slippery good fun. Besides, most people don’t get breast cancer at our age, so there’s no reason to be nervous. (Okay, I got breast cancer – but it’s a freak occurrence! Not the norm. Please don’t let my experience put you off checking. Besides, if I hadn’t found this lump it would have kept growing inside my body. Better out than in.)
Here is the video: enjoy the view, and give it a try.
If the link doesn’t work it may be because of your region. Just search “self exam breast” and there will be plenty of information to help.
Bumpyboobs ~CatherineBrunelleWrites 
Hi Catherine,
Like you, I like a good rainstorm. Seeing how rain allows plants to grow makes me feel happy. Rain nourishes my spirit.
As a kid in Barbados, it hardly ever rained. It was normal for our lawn to turn brown and cracked in the summer. Being in Canada is like being in heaven with all our lakes and rivers. I’m particularly fond of the glaciers in Jasper and Banff National Parks, the Columbia Icefield, the Athabasca river, and the double rainbows in Jasper.
In Barbados, when it did rain, we may get some sheet lightning but not the forked kind… timid stuff. On the other hand, Ottawa does produce great lightning storms which are awesome to watch.
While I was painting my fence yesterday in preparation for winter, the sun was shining while a lone storm cloud was spitting tiny raindrops. Yeah, I like Ottawa weather. 🙂