Steady rain. A magnificent day to be a snail. They're all out basking on the paths and in the puddles. I think for some it is "Snail's First Rainfall". The walk to the station was somewhat treacherous. Concentration on where I put my feet. Couple of magpies hanging out on the platform, indifferent to the wet and feathers well bedraggled. Swishing their beaks in the collected rain for a drink and singing a melodic 'fuck off' when I watched too long.

everything is cold

Rain cannot fill the empty hours. by sirtessa

Due to the deluge the dragon has been grounded, indefinitely.

ICE TESTICLES ATTACK MELBOURNE!

When you throw hailstones that are the size and shape of angry testicles at the roof of the Domed Reading Room in the State Library, it sounds not like rain, or hail, it sounds like coconuts. Lots of coconuts. Lots of coconuts over many minutes, which is quite deafening in a big cavernous space. And dark. And then the fire alarm went off. And the lights went out. And we GTFO.

Into "this thunderstorm is very dangerous", no less.



Flinders Street is flooded. AGAIN. And the roof at Spencer Street Station, being a lovely and striking design which is not actually designed to cope with weather, let alone extreme weather, broke, and when I went through there were snow drifts on the platforms. Rail signals are down on a heap of lines. Trams are stuck several feet of water. As far as I know, my sweetnesses are still out there, trapped by floods. If there are any white knights who can pilot helicopters reading this, go get rescuing.

I had a really hard time motivating myself to get out of bed this morning. I had an even harder time convincing myself to put pants on and step out the front door. Now I know why. I shall never confuse apathy and premonition again.

ETA: Elizabeth Street flooded in a I GOT PLACES TO GOOOOO sort of way.





Twice the CBD of Melbourne has been hit by flash flooding since I got back from South America. Melbourne, honey, what are you doing?

RAIN! RAIN! AND MORE RAIN!

About an hour ago a storm rolled across across Melbourne. I sat at my window and watched it go by. It got quite passionate, but nothing out of the ordinary, or so I thought.



That's Flinders Street as of maybe half an hour ago.

My office is on Flinders Street.



Really glad I didn't go to work today.

(Also; EW. Dude, that's FLINDERS STREET. Don't swim in it! You KNOW what's been there!)

Rain - Conrad Williams

GIANT FLYING SHARK!
buy - author site

Moar? Yes! Moar! I have to slow down with the Williams eating, as there's only a couple more books of his I know of. Found this one at Borderlands in SF. Delight! Joy!

I probably should restrict myself to one a year, actually. This is only a slim little novella, but still left me glad as all fuck the sun was out and I had absolutely nothing in common with the events, location, characters or environment in the story.

To rip off the blurb (it isn't a long blurb);

Ben and his family move to France.
There is an accident.
There is death.
There is rain.
Much rain.

I had a moment of "...again?" upon discovering this story was similar in vein to 'The Scalding Rooms' and 'One' in that the emphasis lay on the father-son relationship, and the shattering affect becoming a parent has, and how devastating the love for your child is, equal parts a strength and weakness. The wives/mothers/girlfriends are mostly distant, verging on the point of being the antagonists, either in the threat they pose to the father/son bond or in plainer and more overt terms. Should Williams ever write a story in which there is a healthy happy couple not on the verge of going each other with blunt objects...well, actually, I'd be pretty suspicious and assume I'd accidentally picked up some other Conrad Williams who did not write deliciously fucked up shit.

Particularly enjoyed the environment in this. The rain, the untamed garden and sullen estate they find themselves in, all these aspects speak with precision. Very little happens which doesn't hide the fact that an awful lot happens in a very short time.

Verdict: It's Conrad Williams, it's awesomely brutal.

Today is a good day to step out the front door.

THERE'S WET STUFF FALLING FROM THE SKY

WTFDOESNOTCOMPUTE
(Fall! Fall harder!)

until next time

An incredible cloud front just rolled past my window.



After that clear cut and dark leading edge passed, the belly was dragged by, green-tinged in the thinner areas, which you can juuuuust make out in the photo.



Then, it shat down.



Not bad, for pointing and shooting through my dirty-ass windows.

Rain bands have been passing by all day. Should be an immense help putting the fires out. Cleaned up the air. My imagination tells me the trees look greener. Some deeper sense of obligation that sees me conserving water where ever possible has relaxed, just a touch.

I could get used to this.

It's raining, and everything is beautiful.

I noted the fact that today it rained all day in my diary, because the world is ending and precious thing should be recognised.