Dry as dust

Although we spent a nice (but cooolish) day at the beach today, I did swim for the first time since winter. It required that I wore a full length wet suit, and even then my head stung as I plunged my face for the first time into the foamy brine which almost felt as though it had icicles in it.
An hour or so later it was a little better, and worth doing. Since I lost more than half my body weight I feel the cold something terrible, so it was a test to see if I was ever going to be able to swim in the Southern Ocean again. Sometimes I swear you can feel those Antarctic icebergs.
In the mean time, although the weather has been variable. Both hot and then cool (tomorrow it will be warmer again), there has been little to no rain. None to speak of.
The only thing I can grow is pelargoniums (pelargonia?) and they are looking quite spectacular at the moment. Everything else is just getting dryer.
Is it right to pray for rain. I have mixed feelings about this. I can pray (quite easily) for people whose livelihoods are affected by the weather. This is paryer, I suppose, for acceptance and resilience. Rather than the more curious prayer that God would send rain on my little patch. This doesn't always feel quite right. Though sometimes I have a sense that this prayer is successful!!
I always say that it has never rained on any bride I have married. Not quite true, there was at least one spectacular example where the bride was kept dry but only by the valiant efforts of half a dozen valiant young men who sacrificed themselves for her beauty. It didn't matter too much on a warm but very, very wet February day. As for the others, it seems to have been true. Sometimes we have had a few spots before she arrived, or a shower whilst in church (this happened on our own wedding day nearly 25 years ago) but usually the bride has been safe.