Welcome Rain in Kuwait
AdventureMan is snuggling up against me, shivering in the cold, Qatteri Cat is snuggled up close on the other side, and I can hear the wind howling at our bedroom window. It sounds like an Arctic blizzard; the wind is relentless. It feels so good to be in bed, to be able to go back to sleep, so warm and cozy, and then AdventureMan whispers “It’s raining outside.”
Three minutes later, I am up and out of bed, going to the closet for old towels.
Kuwait isn’t built for rain. Our beautiful big windows were sealed . . . once. I think the heat has destroyed the seals. When we get a serious rain, I get some serious leakage. It dribbles onto the windowsills and then slithers across the floor. I have to get the towels in place immediately, or I have a real mess.
And, (sigh) once I am up, I am up. I brew the coffee, run some water to wash up some dishes and watch the day lighten incrementally – no sunrise today, but I love the sound of the raindrops falling, falling, falling.
We need more. The rain is an occasion for joy, here, not like in Seattle, where we get so much rain that we take it for granted.
Rain on the Gulf:
Rain on the windows:
Sunrise 5 Feb 2009
Good morning, Kuwait!
It is another gorgeous day, with more to come. Have you noticed the temperatures have taken a jump? No more shivering under heaps of covers at night, no more Qatteri Cat desperate to cuddle with me every time I sit down – and the forecast is for more of the same:
It is a beautiful sunrise this morning, harbinger of a beautiful day to come – have a great day, Kuwait!
Sunrise and Weep
This morning’s sunrise was unspectacular in that it is uniformly spectacular. Most sunrises here are spectacular; spectacular gets to be the standard (for sunrises) in Kuwait.
The translucent cloudy effect is not the fault of the sunrise, it is the result of the rain spots on my window.
Now, for my friends in Germany, in England, in Seattle and across the Winter Zone, here is what our week in Kuwait will look like – again, uniformly spectacular. The weather I love, light sweater weather, weather that makes you want to get outside and walk or run or drive!
If you have ever wanted to visit Kuwait, February is the month. 🙂
Whatever Floats Your Boat
Actually, I hate that phrase, but today it fits. I looked out the window and laughed – there is a tanker, floating above the horizon. At first, I almost thought it was a balloon. Look! See for yourself:
The day is so clear, I can see the tin roofs on Failaika Island with my bare eye. It isn’t much, but it is the clearest day in a long time:
In today’s Kuwait Times, Dr. Saleh al-Ajeeri tells us that the chances of rainfall are going away because the winds are changing, and that the temperatures are going to fall again. It’s hard for me to believe, on a day like today, warm and sunny and not a cloud in the sky, it’s hard to believe it is going to be cold. Dr. Al-Ajeeri says “The winter season is still going on and the cold will return during a season locally known as the ‘Scorpion’s Cold'” and that we can’t count on higher temperatures until the end of February.
SCORPION’S COLD?? OK, my Kuwaiti friends, I have never heard of that before. Can anyone explain to me what this is? And what it it called in Arabic?
Tanker Sunrise
I can tell when the air is bad in Kuwait. I wheeze a little when I am lying down, and I wake up with a small headache. It’s such a shame – the weather is so beautiful, I want to go outside and breathe deeply. I have a feeling that might not be such a good idea.
It looks like another beautiful day in the most beautiful month in Kuwait:
As for the title, if you look at the photo closely, near the horizon you can see all the oil tankers lining up to get into the . . . um. . . er. . . tanker place.
Bright, Shiny Day
The clouds are gone, and it is looking like a beautiful day in Kuwait. With the schools out for winter break, the roads are even driveable! Wooo HOO, Kuwait, get out there and have yourselves a great day!
In the hard copy of yesterday’s Kuwait Times (unfortunately, not the electronic edition) there was a small article featuring a Kuwait meteorologist who said that due to the south (easterly?) winds prevailing at this time of year, we could expect rain frequently throughout February. We sure need it. Yesterday was such a treat, but to quote Jewaira we need “More! More!”
Stormy Weather
I heard a strange sound last night, and couldn’t figure out what it was. When I did – I laughed. How could a girl from the Pacific Northwest not know the sound of rain on the windows?
Here is what the “sunrise” looks like this morning:
It’s 61°F/16C early this Sunday morning, and the forecast is for light rain. We really need a good, soaking, heavy rain. Insh’allah.
Rainy Sunrise
Woooo HOOOOO, Kuwait! We have rain! We have rain! Not a heavy, Pacific Northwest kind of rain that will last the whole day – as you can see, the sun is even breaking through from time to time – but rain! Beautiful rain!
The roads will be slick today, my Kuwait friends. Be careful out there.
Warming Sunrise
I can always tell when the temperatures are going back up. The Qatteri cat is no longer sleeping all curled up in a tight little ball as close to me as he can sleep; he is stretched out, or sometimes even just at the bottom of the bed, not creeping between me and AdventureMan for every ounce of heat he can absorb.
Temperatures are warming, but still no significant rain.
The sunrise this morning is purely glorious, and I love the way it spills over into a little beach pool, as if it were a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end. Here, we have a pool of gold, well, golden in color, anyway.
There is no surf to speak of today, none, and there are patches of utterly flat, glassy water. Not a fishing boat in sight.
Have a great day, Kuwait!
Dancing in Qurtuba
Last night, leaving a dinner with special friends, as we exited, we stopped in our tracks. It was raining! It was a gentle rain; we hadn’t heard a thing.
It was a little wet; that wasn’t a clue, sometimes people wash down their garden areas. It was the smell – there is nothing, nothing like the smell of rain, especially in a dusty, dry country, rain has a magical effect on the dust, and a wonderful, clean smell. Rain on the trees, rain on the garden, rain on everything – we danced all the way to the car.
We’re up a little late, this Friday morning, getting ready for church, still smiling from all the fun we had last night, but I haven’t forgotten you. The sun is a little higher in the sky, but with the clouds – still a photo worth taking.
Have a great day, Kuwait!
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