SMALL TALK 2

“Were you listening to that weather forecast, Arwen?”

“Kinda.”

“Well, they said there was a warm front about to cross over us.”

“So?”

“Well, anything with a front must have a back. But they never say a warm back is leaving us. It’s all about fronts. Warm fronts, cold fronts. It would be really nice to hear that a cold back is departing.”

“Yeh. See what you mean,” said Arwen.

“And another thing,” said Tamzin. “Now we’re onto weather—what about pressure. High pressure and low pressure. Whatever is that about? When there is high pressure I can’t feel the air getting heavier, pressing me down, like.”

“Me neither. Don’t feel any lightness when there is low pressure either. If anything I feel heavier in my spirits ‘cause it usually means rain,” said Arwen.

“And another thing,” Tamzin continued, holding onto her theme like the proverbial dog with a bone. “They talk about ridges of high pressure. OK as a metaphor, I guess. High—just like a mountain ridge. But they never talk about valleys of low pressure. I guess that’s too obvious for adults. You won’t believe this, though. When they talk about low pressure they talk about… troughs!”

“Troughs like pigs eat out of? What sense is there in that? Are hungry little piglets particularly keen on troughing on low pressure air? The mind boggles,” said Arwen.

“No wonder Dad is always giving out about the forecast. They get it wrong so often. Says we might just as well look out of the window,” said Tamzin.

“That’s hardly a forecast, though,” said Arwen. “When the sun came out the other day, he decided to go for a walk. Came back drenched.”

“Adults getting it wrong yet again. What’s to be done with them?’ asked Tamzin, somewhat rhetorically.

Arwen giggled: “Their minds seem so often to be in a fog! No wonder they keep losing their way. We’ll just have to keep putting them back on the right track.”

“Yep. Help them weather their storms while showing them a warm front,” said Tamzin grinning.

“Good word, that, for a four-year old,” said Arwen, “metaphor.”

“It didn’t hurt,” said Tamzin.

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