Regular Afternoon - Extraordinary Light

3:30pm/15.30 - It has been a day with no rain, but clouds have covered the sky and as a result it appears to be darker than it really has to be. Around the time of sunset, however, I can notice a bright stripe or two on the western sky. There's a crack in the clouds, and in between the dark clouds there's a hint of light. And I wonder what's next.

I'm typing on my computer and doing various work while the light slowly changes outside. Nearly an hour later I look out again. The crack between the clouds has changed place, the sun has set and the colours have turned more intense. The pink reflects light from a sun that is already below the horizon, and it's gloriously beautiful. Clouds get a pink-golden lining and it is as if a visual silence creeps up on my city, a benign presence of coloured light before the day is over.

This picture, as the other two above, was taken from my veranda. I have a veranda on the side of my flat that faces west, so I get to see sunsets nearly every time there is one. There isn't always - at the end of this month the sun will not rise above the horizon and we will subsequently not see it until the early days of January. Anyway. The picture above shows the rooftop of the block of flats that lies next to/below mine, and one of the clouds that was coloured by the setting sun. It was amazing; even the seagulls went quiet during this beautiful transition.

I'm so glad I'm living here.