Always chase rainbows.

This morning as I walked through the dining room I glanced out of the window and noticed that it was raining; yes, I know, in England, in November, who’d have thought it eh? It wasn’t heavy rain, just a gentle shower; I could clearly see the individual raindrops picked-out in the sunlight.

In the sunlight…

Hmmm… Rain, sunlight…

It’s early so the sun is low in the sky…

There’ll be a rainbow!

Hurriedly I went upstairs and found my trusty camera; back downstairs I wedged my besocked feet into an ancient pair of beach sandals, flip-flops if you will, opened the front door and went out into the rain. Yes, there in the western sky arching above the streets and houses was a rainbow.

The rainbow wasn’t a very bright one; it was hung against a patchwork of grey clouds and blue sky, I must admit, I’d seen better ones, ones with more intense colour but it was a rainbow nonetheless and because the Sun was so low the rainbow arched high into the sky. I walked up to the end of the street to get clear of the telegraph poles and telephone wires and turned around, yes, it was still there. I raised my camera and clicked away.

I was fighting against using “streets and houses” there; anyone of a certain age will probably remember the kid’s TV show “Rainbow”, I certainly do if only for the theme tune and that wonderful piece of guitar playing that was faded out before it really got into its stride. I was fighting against “streets and houses” but then I thought, why not? After all, it was indeed up above the streets and houses.

Look at any sensible definition of the phrase and it will more than likely tell you that “chasing rainbows” is trying to achieve something that is not practical or indeed possible, trying to do something that can’t be achieved. Well maybe that is true for the figurative chasing of rainbows but when it comes to actual rainbows I always take the time to “chase”.

It’s nothing to do with large wooden boats full of animals and deities sending signs of grace and mercy (and anyway, I think that particular covenant has been well and truly broken more than once over the years…). No, it’s just that these things are there for only a short while, just fleeting occurrences and I like to see such things. Some, like today’s rainbow, are a bit plain, maybe even a bit ordinary but some can be beautiful with vibrant colours against a dark and brooding sky. That’s a bit unfair really; this morning’s rainbow was beautiful, a little splash of colour against the grey morning. So go and chase rainbows, try and do something that can’t be achieved, maybe you’ll see something beautiful.