24 January 2007

Some slight snow in the night, left only on shadowed stretches of the lanes and as perforated rags on grass by the time I have walked to the village shop to buy milk and ham and to post letters to try to settle what Cardiff is claiming are errors in our last tax self-assessment. I extend my journey by going anti-clockwise round Edward's Lane, because the sun is out again. Everything is wet after the quick melting. Grass is loaded with sparks. Under the railway bridge I go and glance to the right over the planted field edged by the thick trees along the embankment. White cumulus with smaller dark clouds underneath it and plenty of blue around. Five gulls are flashing way off, and some black rooks on bare branches over there too. All alight. Then, to their left, I see half a rainbow. Soon afterwards there is a fully completed rainbow over the whole field, then, outside that, the beginning of a second. Fine rain is falling, flickering silver. A few drops bounce on the brim of my hat. The rainbows feed off the rain and intensify. I see the foot of the main one is in front of the bare trees off along the railway bank. It is colouring them green and orange. Often it spikes down over the field and the crop, coming even closer to me.

It would be a pleasure to remember Newton and ...