storm breaking

The air is like an oven door open - a steam oven.  Normal activities like walking from A to B are like swimming in invisible water.  The white heat from the sun chases us into the shadows. Everything is still, waiting, slow.  Even the monkeys hang in the trees, watching us through heavy lidded eyes. Tails hanging, limbs hanging loosely mingling with the branches.   A loop of vine makes a convenient arm chair in which to snooze. I envy them their ability to climb and live in a tree. There is no coolness - everything i touch is too warm.

Late afternoon and the softest baby breath of a breeze touches my arm. Distant sounds like someone walking across a wooden floor could be thunder. We watch the sky hopefully. A few downy soft cumulus clouds loom behind the house. In the west a dark smudge of sky draws slowly closer.

elephant crossing the road in heavy rainstorm

As darkness falls, a quick flash of light that could have been a torch, flits past the window.  We wait and watch.  There is another, and another. Definitely lightening. A few seconds later, the sound of celestial furniture removals confirm our hopes. Here it comes.

No soft pitter patter this time. The rain comes hard and fast, strobe lit by lightening and celebrated by a triumphant percussion section.  Delicious, mouth watering, skin tingling cool ozone packed air, swirls into our lives and around our sweat caked skin. Body temperature normalises and lethargy slips off our shoulders like a heavy blanket.  It makes you want to dance - truly. Get out there and splash some mud around. But this time we content ourselves with watching the light show that skitters all around us.

nothing to do with this post really

just a lovely sunset visit with a peaceful elephant