Not a rainbow, but...

The rains have stopped, the skies have cleared, there’s a brisk and chill breeze blowing and the forecasters are promising our vacationing sun is on his way back home!


Yesterday, I committed the cardinal sin of blippers…

I blipped early (and congenially) in a cosy bar in Malaga (but that’s not the sin). On my return, I was greeted by bitter wind and driving rain and a four-legged friend that still needed walking… There’s only so long a wee dog can cross his legs.

So I grabbed the raggedy rainproof, a lead and a bag (just in case) and we headed out into the storm, but I DID NOT GRAB A CAMERA.

Around the first corner, the wind drove a tidal wave of icy rain full in my face. I fervently hoped my little friend would just get on with his business and we could head back home to the latent comfort of the fire I'd not yet lit.

Round the next bend, however, the wind inexplicably dropped, the rain slowed to a gentle drizzle and, for a brilliant moment, the sun came out…

Suddenly, arched over the hill and down into the valley was the most beautifully perfect rainbow I’ve ever seen (and I had NO camera). To compound things, just where the rainbow faded to barely discernible columns of colour at the valley floor, there was a particularly pretty mule (sporting a traditionally tasselled saddle) with two little dogs – one brown, one white – playing at its feet. A more idyllic scene could not be imagined. Had it been a blip, anyone would be forgiven for assuming this pastoral perfection had been composed and photo-shopped in some digi-magical studio somewhere (and I had NO camera!).

In the moment it took to internally debate the feasibility of running home to get a camera versus the likelihood my falling and breaking my neck while doing so, clouds once again covered the sun and the rainbow disappeared.

And I had learned the hard way to always, but always, CARRY A CAMERA!

(I hope the farmer realised as he removed the mule's tack that evening, that those pretty embroidered saddle-bags must surely be filled with gold…!)