Dear Weather Gods,

I wish to lay a formal complaint.

I understand that weather is variable and that there are never any promises or guarantees regarding what kind of weather we will get.  I've always had faith however, that the weather will at the very least suit the season and time of year.

It's the first of May today.  We're supposed to be approximately halfway through Autumn.  We can usually count on the first frosts around now.  In any normal year, they're not too surprising as nights are usually getting colder over the previous month.

28 degrees for most of the day, dropping to 25 just before the sun disappeared behind the mountain is not a normal temperature for May.  It's almost as though we're getting a normal (if short day length) Summer finally after the Summer on steroids that we've just escaped from.

I became rather excited last week when I saw that we were forecast for rain this weekend.  The ground has gotten drier than it was all Summer.  Imagine my disappointment on Friday night when I saw that the forecast had changed and the rain was no longer coming (and sadly, the forecast was accurate) and we're still left high and dry.

Normally, I prefer the heat, Summer is my favourite time of year.  I will confess that the Summer we've just had challenged that somewhat.  I found myself hiding from the sun and the heat rather than revelling in it.  I am enjoying still wearing t-shirts without an extra layer and hardly ever getting the fire going even though that is not normally possible at this time of year.

I do find myself wondering whether there is some sort of shenanigans going on up there.  Have there been staffing changes or a new quality system that no one really understands and doesn't seem to make any sense but the management believe in it so you just have to go along with it?  Is this some kind of hold out for more prayers or rain dances?  Has the sheep mortality rate due to new and nastier flies encouraged by the unseasonal weather not been sufficient sacrifice to you?  Do you have it in for North Canterbury farmers so much that we have the wettest January ever but the driest Autumn?  Did someone forget to flip a switch or are you all drunk up there?

Please get it sorted before we feel compelled to try another company for this service,

Yours sincerely


Most of North Canterbury.