A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.
In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colours reversed, red facing toward the other one, in both rainbows. Between the two bows lies an area of unlit sky referred to as Alexander’s band.
Thunder crashes through my dreams like a sledge-hammer, startling me into wakefulness. It growls like a caged-in lion pacing, it bangs furiously and then grumbles away, sometimes near, sometimes far. The lightning strikes and I start counting; one thousand, two thousand… the gods come tumbling out of their beds above my head shattering the stillness of the air, deafening me, wakening the entire neighbourhood.
Lightning flickers around the edge of the town, circling dangerously close, lighting up roofs and chimneys then forking down to the earth. So bright I can see it with my eyes closed. Red, yellow on the insides of my eye-lids. Afraid to open them in case the retina is damaged by the flash. So vivid that night becomes day.
Then the rain starts; fat, heavy drops falling slowly, hesitantly onto the still warm tarmac and dry tiles. The hissing begins; raindrops steadily increasing in pace, straight as stair-rods, rapidly filling the gutters, turning the road into a river, gurgling down the fall-pipes and creating fog above the river. The smell of rain in the thick air. It stops. It starts. It stops.
Everything is still. The air is so heavy. Listening, holding its breath. In case the fury returns.
(Storms over the UK – July 2014)
Lisa of the blog NorthWest Frame of Mind has decided to run a different project over the next 24 weeks. To try to show what is happening in different parts of the world (if you all join in) at a particular time of day. If you would like to participate you have until next Saturday midnight to post a photo or write about what is happening in your part of the world. This week is between 02:00 – 03:00. I hope you’ll join in! See links for more details.
(Photo source: Mark Kidsley 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.)
| synonyms: | lovable, adorable, cute, sweet, dear, delightful, lovely, charming,appealing, attractive, engaging, winning, captivating, enchanting, beguiling,winsome; |
OK children, gather round, we are going to visit Bodiam castle
See, it’s really easy, we just follow the Humans over the bridge, no need to be afraid of all that water.
Best foot forward…
stay together now
Oh, dear, there’s always ONE who falls in.
Aw, come on, he is rather cute don’t you think?
In 1831 a remarkable hoard of carved walrus ivory was discovered on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles, Scotland. It included 78 chessmen reflecting medieval Europe.
Kings with swords on their laps, queens resting their chins in their hands, bishops dressed for Mass, knights on horseback and infantrymen (rooks) on foot. The rooks biting their shields depict fictional heroes of great ferocity known from Norse saga as Berserkers. (Probably made in Scandinavia, thought to be Norway, about AD 1150-1200 | Found on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland)
Information from the British Museum
We started at the NT car park at Carnewas (along the north Cornish coast half-way between Padstow and Newquay) where there is a lovely tea-room which is open throughout the summer months. From here you cannot see anything of the coastline. 
Well established paths lead you through the gorse on a detour to the cliffs from where you have amazing views of the cliffs in both directions, along to Trevose Head and the spectacular sea stacks at Bedruthan beach and south towards Mawgan Porth.
After admiring the views return to the main path and continue down the wide steps to the bottom where you have good views over the beach when there is a low tide, or the waves crashing over the rocks when there isn’t.
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
~ John Masefield
When the tide is out you can take the steep stone beach steps to access the beach. (These steps are closed from November and there is no swimming from this beach because of the currents).
The rest of the route includes slopes, steps and unfenced cliff top, none of which are attractive to the OH, so we returned to the café for a cool glass of ginger beer.
There is no record of the name “Bedruthan Steps” before 1847, but it is thought to have originally referred to one of the two cliff staircases to access Carnewas mine (presumably the one nearer to the village of Bedruthan). The name later also became used for the name of the beach itself.
The legend of Bedruthan Steps was invented for Victorian tourism, said to be taken from a mythological giant (Bedruthan) who used the rocks as stepping stones. These were formed after the last Ice Age, when rising sea levels eroded the surrounding soft shales to leave the harder rocks as islands. Each of the 5 rock stacks has a name (Queen Bess, Samaritan Island, Redcove Island, Pendarves Island and Carnewas Island). 
This is a very short walk, but can be extended if you continue along the south-west coastal path to Porth Mear or in the other direction to Mawgan Porth returning through the countryside.
If you enjoy a walk, short or long, then you may enjoy visiting Jo’s Monday Walk where you are in for a treat.
TRAVEL WORDS 