SUMMER RAINS AND NATURE'S UMBRELLA

Trapped in the rain again. This time though, not in the car, but under a beech tree in the park.

I was taking an evening stroll, when the sunshine hid behind a grey cloud, and then the grey cloud showered the park with lovely rain.

So... I'm under a tree, waiting for the shower to pass, and also... absolutely loving it.

Trees make pretty good shelters. There is an occasional drip from the leaves above, but mostly the downpour patters the green canopy like the canvas of a tent.

A droplet splashes cold onto my jeans. It grows dark, then it fades magically, as it dries into my knee. Another falls onto my phone screen, warping and bubbling the letters as I type. Still more tap me on the shoulder and rattle onto my baseball cap.

I'm under-prepared for the park tonight.

It's cool though. For one thing, I seem to have brought a packet of Oreos with me. For another, this wonderful tree is nature's umbrella.

"D'oh! I forgot to ask you about my umbrella!" I texted Mike, who had picked it up for me at the end of camp last week.

"I know." he replied, enigmatically. He definitely has it, Kathie told me so. Perhaps he still remembers last Monday, when I woke him up at 11:30pm.

Then, suddenly, as the trees crackle and splutter with falling water, the sun comes out again and lights the grass with summer evening warmth. I'm quite content, and remarkably dry. Thanks, nature!

I like a rain shower on a summer's day. It's a very British thing, especially at this time of year when a lot of us are on school holidays. It's warm. It's raining. It's okay. We're on hols. It'll all be alright.

And when even nature provides you with an umbrella, you know it will be.