Storm Light

... or ' More leaves, rain and a little more herb action'. Intrigued?, then read on.


Those naughty nagging winds have been whistling up our coat tails again today, throwing our trugs aside, scattering the contents and tearing the last shreds of golden dignity from the Beech trees. On the bright side this is probably the last leaf raking session of the autumn. No more bad jokes about leaves, no more looking for the lost set of leaf boards, the towering leaf heaps can now be left to gently shrink back into themselves, and no more dreaming up leaf sculptures in the mind as the rake tines scratch rhythmically across the ground.


In the last hour of the day it was hard to concentrate on our herb trimming duties as the sky went through a series of dramatic light changes. A layer of smokey 'blue cat' clouds tumbled across a golden anvil of light on the horizon and weighing down upon this was a thick stodgy cake of dark grey intent and wisps of paler grey cloud fretted through it like steam.


Every minute or so I stopped snipping with the secateurs to check how the spectacle was progressing. Half an hour elapsed, in which time my coat zipper was pulled up to a point just below my nose, I stood watching with my camera held ready in hand, but annoyingly the horizon fell away below an interference of buildings and trees. Damn it!, if only I could have knocked all the bricks and mortar out of the way for a clearer view.


Storm light, it was inevitable that the rain would surely follow, and with the first spays of water came a confetti of Black head Gulls battling against the strengthening wind. Just moments later the heavens opened and small line of gardeners could be seen running with their wheelbarrows towards the warm, dry sanctuary of the bothy.


Wet fringes sticking to foreheads, wet fingers curling round hot cups of tea and coats hanging dripping in the corner. A warm fug of laughter and chat rounded off the day.