Here comes the rain…

… it’s been a long dry dusty winter… but not cold, not really – although balaclavas and winter coats have been sighted.

This morning at about 5 was the first real rain of the season. It woke me up – breeze in the bedroom, banging in the street, and that sound – yes it really is rain, not just the wind in the trees. My neighbours who were sleeping out in the courtyard hurriedly moved inside. But in general it’s a good time for rain, with not much traffic on the road – with the first rains the roads become really slippery, causing skids and mayhem.

There were a few drops at the weekend, but hardly enough even to make people move indoors. This was the real thing – gusty wind, powerful rain, and that distinctive smell of water hitting the dry ground.

And holy catfish, are we ready for it!! The ground is really dry, everywhere is really dusty – it will take more than one heavy shower to slake the dust of months – the last rain was around late October as far as I recall. It is not the real rainy season yet – these early rains are called ‘la pluie des mangues’, because they are supposed to arrive in time to wash the mangos clean. Which is fine by me. My grandfather reckoned that every meal in the strawberry season without strawberries was an opportunity wasted – and I feel rather the same about mangoes, as you may perhaps have gathered!

With the freshness comes a burst of energy - I need to make the most of that, as the inexorably increasing heat brings lethargy and inertia.

I was wondering whether I would see and feel real rain again before leaving Burkina Faso, and now I have - so with the exhilaration comes realisation that the year has nearly turned full circle, and it will soon be time to go home. But time for a few more blogs before that, so keep watching this space....