After the rain

Sometimes I like to just stand in the garden and listen.  At this time of year there is that moment when the sky is just starting to dip into pink before it goes grey, its around 4ish at the moment.  Better still is this moment after a full day of rain, that perfect moment when the rain has just stopped and you finally can get outside into the cold, damp air.  Often the garden gets that rotting leaf/sluggy kind of smell this time of year, its sort of pleasant in an unpleasant sort of way.

I stand and listen, I can hear the ring road & motorway loudly.  Most of the time the sound does not encroach into my consciousness, but today it there through the post-rain stillness of the garden, loud and proud.  The stillness also makes me think I can smell the cars, the petrol and fumes, not a clean smell but the smell of fumes, the air is very still and nothing is blowing away

Through all this now I can hear the birds high pitched calling and calling to each other.  They seem very loud too.

There is the dripping from the trees, the rain that is still falling to the earth.

Then I hear the jingling from the bell on the cats collar, he is wandering up the garden to see what I am up to, why am I standing there just listening (when he thinks I should be feeding him no doubt).

I stand, I listen, I get a bit cold actually too.  It is a moment that is good.