Sunshine

That is actually the name of a book.  Written by an Englishman, of course, who is obviously so obsessed with the sun that he has written a whole book about.  The complete title is, SUNSHINE:  ONE MAN’S SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS.  His name is Robert Mighall, and you can read the review, if you want to, at www.sunday-times.co.uk/ and type Robert Mighall in the search window.  I haven’t read the book, and I probably won’t, even though it sounds fun and interesting.  I won’t because there is so much out there to read, write, and do that I sometimes  content myself with the reviews.   But the review  itself was amusing to read, full of little tidbits which appear in the book, one of which is about the words used in different languages to talk about climate.   He points out that in French, Italian, and Spanish, the words for time and weather are the same:  temps, tempo, and tiempo "a sure sign of the reassuring regularity of the seasons and the sun" , writes the reviewer.  Further, in most Romance languages the words for heaven and the sky are also the same:  ciel or cielo.  "In the south, they can see or imagine heaven when they look up and see infinite celestial blue.", says Mighall.  To which the book reviewer adds, "And what do the British see?  The clue is in the derivation of the word sky.  Its root is Old Norse for cloud." 

But I can tell you from my own experience this year that when the clouds finally clear and the sun comes out, it is heavenly.   

 

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