Weather and some Isms

It appears that spring has sprung! Or at least it's trying. This past weekend we had some surprising weather here in Wales.... I believe it is called sunshine. Very rare. Very special. Very short lived.

In honor of the nice weather, I made a point to venture outside. Though in Bangor there isn't a whole lot to do of the casual "outside" variety. The thought of springtime makes me miss Newark. In Delaware you knew that the first day of slightly warmer sun you'd be out on the green with a frisbee and an iced coffee. Bangor doesn't have a green to relax and play on. If it did, I guarantee it would be too soggy to sit on (Sunny or no, this is still Wales). So instead I took myself down for a wander around the high street. On my way down, I stumbled upon a sight I didn't quite believe...

Crocus! And that is how I know that spring is coming. Now, I've heard that after a brief slip into warmer temperatures, the east coast has just returned to cold and wintry weather. I'd like to offer these cheerful little blooms as hope that Punxsutawney Phil wasn't totally wrong. Spring really really might be just around the corner :)

To further brighten spirits, I thought I would add to my previous list of funny British "isms" I'm discovering.

- Wet rain : a concept which still escapes me slightly, apparently there are different categories of rain. Being water falling from the sky, I had always assumed that all rain was wet. It seems that some rain is wet, and some rain is.... less wet. Who am I to argue? If the Eskimos can have gillions of words for snow, leave it to the British/Welsh to have more words for rain. They should know.

- Pants : a simple word. You'd think it would mean the same thing in any version of English. Interestingly, this is not true. To me, pants means jeans or khakis or whatever "bottom" piece of apparel you wear that has legs. To the Brits, this means underwear. So if you're here in the UK, choose your words carefully if you say you're going to "change your pants" to say, dress nicer for dinner. You might not be saying what you think you are.

- Faff : a personal favorite (or favourite), this refers to the general concept of futzing/screwing around/wasting time. I find this word really hits the nail on the head. Example: Susie takes forever to get anywhere because she takes ages faffing about in the car before she gets on the road.

- Knackered : another real favorite, this means tired. Like faff, I find that this word really gets it right in the connotation department. Before, I would have said "I'm exhausted" or "I'm pooped". In the first case, I sound rather dramatic. In the second, I sound like an idiot. Knackered lands nicely between the two and I for one am all for its immediate adoption.

I have plenty more such isms, but I think I'll save the rest for another day. So for now, think happy springy thoughts, and remember: depending on what country you're in, you may or may not be wearing pants.