France has the mistral, North Africa its sirocco. Western Australia is known for the Fremantle Doctor, and we have the haar. All these winds can radically alter the quality of life. The haar, a cold, fog-bearing wind, builds out in the North Sea and creeps inland, falling over the north-east coast like a withering shadow. More often than not, the haar comes when the rest of the country is enjoying warm weather. Last week we didn’t have the fog, but the bitter haar wind reached far inland, and we shivered.This morning, on stepping outside, I felt the change. The wind had twizzled round, and the air was full of gentle zephyrs, that tender west wind, which brings the warm growing weather. Always welcomed for its good luck, the western breeze has been the inspiration for poetry, music a