There she blows....

In Australia we lived in a suburb called Flagstaff Hill - and as the name suggests....we were on the top of a hill.
There were many things I liked about that old place, most of all the conservation park, which was only a street away, and sank into a deep valley, where the winter mists would settle and drift at eye level. It was beautiful , silent and serene.
Another thing I liked, but had never really considered before, was the breeze. It was frequently very windy on the top of the hill where our place resided. We had a huge stringy bark gum in the backyard. The parrots, magpies and other birds would all gather there, warbling and chattering the day away. Occasionally the wind would whip up quite a frenzy, bending the branches in all directions, thrashing the leaves around like a long haired head banger at a rock concert. The sound of the wind hurtling through the leaves and branches was akin to the roar of a distant crowd; the tree besieged by the lashing and lapsing of wind appeared as though the heavens were truly breathing in and out with laboured determination. That tree honestly creaked. Two limbs rubbed together, reminding me of taut ropes rubbing against the mast of a boat as it rocked an rolled gently on a playful ocean...same haunting sound.
These sights and sounds were threatening and soothing at the same time. We had been known to lose a few large branches from time to time, and were very lucky that none ever hit the house. On really wild weathered evenings, one could not help peering out into the dark reckless night to watch the battering that tree received, secretly wondering if tonight might be the night our luck runs out, and that massive tree ends up on the roof.
We are so sheltered here in Delta, I can't vouch for the rest of the lower mainland, but we are surrounded by mountains and then there are the many islands shielding us in the Gulf - it is also very low lying here. This combination ensures an extremely mild climate (for Canada) and a stillness that still feels kind of unnatural to me.
Last night however, it blew! I could count on one hand how often that has happened since landing here. I thoroughly enjoyed it, I must say.
The large cedar next to the house tossed and thrashed in the orange glow of the street light - it raged and danced. The wind breathed through the leaves and branches with a soothing, whispering hush, but the best part was stepping out into the brisk air and feeling that wind slap my face with its icy hands, and penetrate through my usually warm jacket, confronting me to feel what I could not escape in that moment. I folded my arms tight, in an attempt to salvage what little warmth I had left, while hoping to create some more. I could only bare the cold for a little while; I was tempted to go back inside for another layer of clothing, but instead I chose to enjoy the moment, and feel.
I know I go on about it, but I just love nature - the trees and animals. I love the seasons- all four of them, and I love the atmospheric displays that mother nature surprises us with on a daily basis: the rain, snow, fog, cloudless blue, radiating heat...and of course the wind. All this deserves our attention and our thanks, for these are some of the true gifts of life.