A rainbow and a little rain

Everybody wants happiness,

Nobody wants pain:

But there can’t be a rainbow

Without a little rain.

Dolly Parton

Forest greens. Fading blue. An endless ocean of lush gumtrees stretching to the horizon. Deep dark valleys and red sandstone cliffs. The warm yellow and shy purple of the wildflowers growing in front of the small cottage perched on the escarpment. 

The rasping ruckus of the cicadas mixed with the distant rushing of a waterfall (or is it the nearby highway?). The sun shining bright and warm, the light breeze playing with the pages of my notebook. The perfect spot to write. Tuscany style. Yet, I don’t know what to say, rendered speechless by this perfect sight in front of my eyes.

Sista’s in town, and it’s like the city is putting on a special show just for her. Armed with sunblock and hat and shades, she gets greeted by the wettest weather Sydney has seen in 30 years. The total of the four-days rain more than the area had seen in the last six months! 

Bushfire warnings and water restrictions replaced by severe thunderstorms and non-stop heavy rain. Power outages, uprooted trees, and flooding everywhere. Flooded houses and apartments, streets and school basements. Our gym turned into a pool. Yet, water reservoirs up by 30% – can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.

After the storm, the beach swamped with piles of rotting seaweed, charred sea trees and debris. A dead rat, err, I mean bandicoot. Rubbish washed ashore. 

A faint rainbow forming over the ocean. A light drizzle continues to fall, forcing the colourful parakeet under our roof. A hungry little rainbow in the never ending little rain.

And then she returns. The bright Australian sun. With its azure blue sky slowly turning pink from the fading light. Touching the endless valleys and tree covered rims with is shine. My heart like a satellite dish sending signals to the sun (okay, I read that somewhere, but I like it). 

White cockatoos with their yellow rimmed wings circling above our heads – welcome to Jurassic Park, I mean the Blue Mountains. (Writer’s) Paradise found, 2 hours west of Sydney. Scenic bush land and endless waterfalls, breathtaking views and sheer cliffs.  

The Three Sisters, the Three Brothers. The Orphan Rock. Where the sun sets behind the blue tinted hills to make space for a star-spangled night sky. Only to return the next morning in a blaze of red and orange and pink and bright. 

A day of bush walks through remaining puddles and mud to happily gurgling streams and gushing waterfalls. Of thunder rolling in the distant distance, with a few raindrops quickly dissipating in the warmth of the sun. Can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.

An Aboriginal Dreaming story tells how birds came into being when a rainbow shattered and its colourful shards fell to earth. I believe the same could be said about this place. A place so beautiful and perfect that all my words seem to fail. Perfect writer’s spot or not.

Enjoy the sunshine and the rain. And the rainbows if you can.

(Photos courtesy of M&M. Thank you <3)