4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks indeed for your help here. Reliable as ever, Giles has come up with the equivalent idiom (thank you), but was unfortunately unable to provide the storm (though it did it finally hit us here in Modena at 4 am with a very welcome downpour). I know I'm cheating slightly here, but I think I'll go somewhere along the lines of Gary's excellent proposal (thanks) as a less literal alternative, if I can work it into the text somehow. Thanks also to Nancy, Cathy, and Manducci for your off-centre and very relevant proposals, I'm keeping all options open for the present. Maximum appreciation Derek"