El Niño doesn’t begin until December – of course, that’s how it got its name, for being The Boychild storm system associated with December – but a good November soaking to give everyone the excuse they needed to wear wraps and boots is welcome today in poor, tinder-dry California. It’s ridiculous to be chilly when it’s actually not frosty out, but being away from Glasgow in November has made me wimpy. I shall gather my wrap around me, sip tea, and shiver with everyone else.
I’m grateful today for news of ski resorts opening before Thanksgiving for the first time in years, and for the whining and shivering we’re going to do in the next few months, as the aquifers fill and the hills re-green.