If it's darkest just before the dawn...

[shewhomust]

...is it brightest just before nightfall?

Probably not as a rule, but it was today. We were visiting J., to admire her new Bathroom in Progress and tackle some small computer problems. So we were in her sitting room, with its huge windows looking out over the hills; I was looking one way, watching the rain, and commented how dark the sky was already, but J, at right angles to me, pointed out a square of brightness next to the farm buildings, where the sun was reflecting off the back of a van Sun? What sun? But I walked across to look in the opposite direction, and the sun really was visible, low between the clouds and getting brighter every minute.

That's when we saw the rainbow. At first it was just a fragment, a vertical shaft spearing through the farmhouse, fain but clear. As we watched, it grew stronger, and we could trace its length further up into the sky, still almost vertical.

Then it faded, of course, and it was night. But it was lovely while it lasted. Driving home, we saw plenty of Christmas lights already shining; but the rainbow was better.

Comments

[cmcmck]

We get this here- over towards Shrewsbury from the back of the house this morning it was a black as your hat while at the front of the house towards the forest the sun was out over the hills.

[nineweaving]

How lovely! Rainbows mean hope.

Nine

[boybear]

..like Tom's story of the man who saw the sun set twice (by riding up to the brow of the hill) - I don't remember more than that, unless it was that he'd been promised as much land as he could ride round in a day.

[cmcmck]

We could do that here (north Shropshire in the UK) by watching from our house as the sun sets behind the hills and then climbing the local hill, the Wrekin, to look west towards the Welsh hills. :o)

[shewhomust]

I remember that story - but I can't remember the details. Was it the foundation myth of a classical city?

[shewhomust]

True ...

[shewhomust]

That's always impressive. This was different, an actual emergence of the sun just before it set.

[asakiyume]

A vertical shaft spearing through the farmhouse --how cool; you could take as a sign! Some sort of divinity communicating in typical inscrutable fashion.

[shewhomust]

I did wonder if there was a pot of gold -

[cellio]

I generally find the natural lights to be more impressive than the man-made ones, too. Also, usually subtler. :-)

[shewhomust]

In general, I'd agree with you. But there was nothing subtle about this rainbow!