Tracing rainbows

At midday yesterday there was a phenomenal rainstorm - it was the lunchbreak and I was closeted in a tiny room machining backdrops for the play, when hordes of children came rushing back inside the building to avoid the cloudburst. "Do not tread on those backdrops or I will personally kill you!" I yelled. They grinned and all carefully walked round the edge of the large sheets of 'The Wild Wood' and 'Toad Hall' which were laid out on the floor. Fortunately the children know me, and know I do not murder pupils - I am not sure an Ofsted Inspector would have approved of my language!

Yesterday was quite a hard day. I only taught in the morning, but it is the end of term and teachers are tired and tempers are easily frayed. Felt very concerned for some colleagues who had really reached the end of their resources and consequently said things which upset others. The atmosphere was rather tense! Came home at lunch-time thanking the Lord I do not have to work full-time!

In the afternoon I had to go out for some unexpected items from IKEA, and found myself driving back down the M1 behind a large Winnebago with a BMW sports motorbike strapped on the back. Not sure that sort of holiday appeals to me. Just biking and roughing it in a tent [or going B&B] is fabulous - but why bother with a bike if you are driving everywhere in a great vehicle like that? On the other hand, perhaps Bob and I could afford a Winnebago as our retirement home? Must check the interior heights- he usually bangs his head in ordinary little British Caravans!

It was only 4 hours after the phenomenal rain, and the sun was shining beautifully, and everywhere looked so fresh and green. I didn't see a rainbow at any time, but I am sure there was one somewhere over Leicestershire!

The sadness of the morning seemed to have lifted a little and I found myself yet again thanking God for His love and grace. I drove home, singing along tunelessly to Steve Wright's programme on radio 2. Mind you, he did play the very depressing Ballad of Lucy Jordan with the lines

"At the age of thirty-seven, she realised she'd never ride through Paris in a sports car, with the warm wind in her hair."

And I considered myself very blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Paris three times now - I didn't do it in a sports car - but I have been round the Peripherique on the back of a Honda Pan, which I consider equally romantic and glamorous!