Editorial: All seasons in four days this week

The farming fraternity has reported having a "spring in its step" in the wake of recent, persistent rain. Photo / Warren Buckland

I heard someone describe it as "chalk and cheese" while one online correspondent said it was like "living in Melbourne".

They were talking about the weather, and I nodded at the latter as back in the early '90s I was at the Philip Island race track in Victoria for some motorcycle testing.

The day I arrived was about 29C and steamy.

The following day the track sessions were called off as it was raining, and 16C.

Neil Finn serenaded us with Four Seasons in One Day and that I understand was sparked by time spent in Melbourne.

Well, it's not quite a one-day thing here in Hawke's Bay but over the past four days we have had all four seasons.

To see smoke wafting from at least three chimneys while on my way home late Wednesday afternoon was slightly surreal.

It was December 17 for heaven's sake.

But such are the foibles of weather.

A month ago we were getting messages about a long, dry, windy summer ahead as an El Nino weather system began to show signs of emerging.

However, the farming fraternity has reported having a "spring in its step" in the wake of recent, persistent rain. And that spring, it means, is likely to remain sprung as more rain is forecast over the next week - on and off, and from the easterly climes and not El's more favoured westerly region.

Yesterday it was stifling hot and verging on double the temperature from the day before so one finds it difficult to know what to fire on come the morning.

Now weather boffins are predicting a strong rain probability for Christmas Day and for those in "barbie" mode that's not the most favourable news. For the forecasters it must be great fun as while for many folk all their Christmases will come at once, for the met' boffins all their seasons could well be doing likewise.