It's Raining In Madrid, Isn't It Great?

For most of this week it has rained in Madrid, the sort of steady rain that you wrongly think is not going to soak you. This might not seem like big news, but after two years of very poor rainfall the city and surrounding region badly needs all the rain it can get. This week has been perfect for the countryside, and for refreshing the near empty reservoirs that provide the city with its drinking water.

I am so glad to see some decent rainfall that I can even put up with the 80 per cent of Madrileños who seem to think their umbrella is a weapon, much of the time I walk with a hand near to my eyes ready to stop any umbrella attack before it causes serious damage. It probably doesn't help that it seems to have become the fashion to carry an umbrella capable of sheltering a family of 10. I could even put up with another week like this, it doesn't really need to rain for months on end in Madrid to guarantee the water supply - which is just as well because I haven't seen rain like this for a long time. I never thought when I came to this country that I would be so happy to get wet.