a rained-out holiday, he said. Research shows bad weather brings down your mood and satisfaction with life. Office workers will have trudged back to their desks with these gloomy feelings, rather than the usual tan and beach snaps. "If you are feeling bad, think about those in a worse situation. It puts your own experience in persepective," Weijers said. Farmers in the lower South Island will be feeling the stress as water runs out in many places and drought-like conditions push the fire risk sky-high. Rainfall was less than half the normal amount in Southland, Otago, and parts of the West Coast. And in those areas the dry conditions are beginning to bite. In the Queenstown Lakes District, water restrictions are in place in some areas and authorities are urging property owners to clear overgrown sections amid concern the hot, dry summer has turned the region into a tinder box. A large scrub fire has already threatened homes near Wanaka and there are fears more blazes could occur despite the total fire ban now in place. "Conditions are extremely dry," said Queenstown's principal rural fire officer Gordon Bailey. "It will take a substantial amount of rain over a long period to decrease the fire risk." It is a similar story in Southland and parts of Clutha where the Southern Region Fire Authority has suspended all existing fire permits and imposed a ban on burning rubbish, using incinerators, or cooking outdoors with open braziers or hangi in all townships within the