There is something about gray, drizzly weather that especially compels me to plan a visit to the British Isles (+ Ireland). Maybe it is because of the novels of the English sort which infer this sort of weather–The Secret Garden, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights–that have always been my favourite. Or maybe it is a brooding curiosity for a place where sunshine is as rare as snow in Georgia.

In Italy, this type of weather was rare. When it rained, it poured–in torrents that poured like streams down the hill we climbed to reach our monastery-home. Even cold weather was often accompanied by sunshine and puffy clouds.

The weather change here in Michigan is a welcome one after weeks of stifling temperatures inside the house (even more so than the outside). With it comes the expectation of snow, Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the lovely things that seem so far off during summer….but sidle ever-closer with gray weather.