It’s raining cats and dogs is an idiom I have never used other than to express, by way of example, how idioms can often serve as dead metaphors. In other words, the language has stopped working as it should. Since the phrase has been so commonplace there is not an adult English speaker alive who imagines dogs or cats falling from clouds. I make the distinction between adults and children because my son imagines all kinds of things, and would willingly imagine flying pets.
The weather is of great interest to my English Language students. What will the weather be like? Will it rain? Is it warm? Our English language school is perched on a cliff facing the wild Atlantic Ocean. And given that we’ve had three storms this January, and I’ve witnessed waves crashing into rocks where the spray has reached 100 ft, the weather is of great interest to me too. We have all the weather here. It can be 35 degrees celsius on the coast path. It can even snow. Here in St Agnes, we depend upon the Gulf Stream lifting in the summer months, and when it is here – (as it is frequently!) – you can expect warm sunny weather. Cornwall is also tropical – and home to a wide array of tropical grasses, palms and flowers. Last year the gulf stream played a trick or two, and brought more rain than I would have liked!
Winter in Cornwall feels to me like a return to home and family. The evenings compel us inside, and the cold weather always encourages me to light a fire, cook well, and be present with those I love. Of course, the absence of light and the vitamin D deficiency can bring you down a little, but the first signs of spring are coming, and I’m willing them here. And in the spring, summer and autumn, there are moments of blazing sunshine, and as my father in law used to say – Cornwall is magical in the light.
I think that you could supplement the word ‘weather’ for ‘magic’. When I’ve been walking on the south west coast path in spring, I have seen spring flowers – a little like Alpine flowers – seemingly erupt in colour in front of me. Weather systems and the heralding cirrus clouds can sometimes appear like they are the work of artists, and the deep stretches of dark water, when contrasting the lighter blue of shallow sandbanks – seem to me more like the Caribbean than anywhere else. The weather makes Cornwall magical, and whatever weather – we have we respond to it. It is a stimulus for our lessons. It can turn our mood, it can lift us. And those of you who have visited, and have walked with me on the South West coast path – you know. Cornwall has a landscape that amazes whatever the weather. The irony is that the most breathtaking scenes sometimes stop even the most fluent among us in being able to describe what is seen. This is not a question of fluency, rather it is an exercise in finding the right words; describing and explaining the beauty of the natural world is not about absolute accuracy. Dynamic language doesn’t work that: real fluency is all about having the confidence to communicate your ideas so that those you are speaking with can fully comprehend.
If you are looking to learn or improve your English while experiencing the natural beauty of Cornwall – pay Skool Cornwall a visit. We offer bespoke adult language courses for all levels, combined with exciting activities such as surfing, hiking, arts, and cultural experiences. Contact us for a unique and immersive learning adventure.