Four Seasons in One Day

I’m writing this listening to Crowded House singing ‘Four Seasons in One Day’.

I’ve had the song going round and round in my head all day, so decided the only way to defeat the earworm was to embrace it.

Four Seasons in One Day is the trademark of Melbourne’s weather. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said it to me (proudly, resignedly or gloomily) in reference to lightning-fast shifts from sunshine to rain and back.

Yesterday, for example, was gloriously sunny and warm – too warm for a coat. After the sun set, it was cold and frosty. This morning the rain came down in sheets and this afternoon it’s cloudy but dry.

Which came first – the song or people using the phrase to describe the weather? One of the mysteries of the universe.