When the biting northern bura blows, I am not the only one who is happy.
I confidently predict there will be no locals out for morning coffee in t-shirts this morning, and if I see any locals outside on the square at all, I will be surprised.
For an old friend has arrived to keep us company which will force most people indoors.
The bura, that infamous biting northern wind, which is the only wind I have ever experienced which can reduce a place to Siberian temperatures. It can be fierce.
I love the bura, but then again having worked on the edge of Siberia in winter, the cold does not touch me. It is a cleansing wind in so many ways, blowing cobwebs away from the island, and is usually followed by glorious blue skies and cold, crisp mornings. Perfect.
It is also a housewife’s dream. Being a dry wind, this is the perfect opportunity to get clothes dried, so expect to see a higher number of terraces with clothes on the line today. Modern conveniences such as tumble dryers are a luxury most households cannot afford, and the winter months are a time when drying clothes can be an issue.
But when the bura comes – especially on a weekend as today – washing machines will be working overtime.
I love the feeling the of the bura on my face walking along the coast. Cold, bracing, cleansing. But perhaps not something to be experienced in a t-shirt. Maybe time to go native and put a jacket on, just this once…
