As we know, a rainbow consists of seven colours but the cake in the patisserie window only had five stripes. Even so, it looked delicious. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, frosted with butter-icing and flowers. The charming indulgence was missing indigo and violet, but that’s not important. Seeing it, made me think about the poignancy of rainbows over the last six months. It has been uplifting seeking them out in neighbours’ windows whilst outside for exercise. A tribute to the NHS, and a symbol, uniting folks and bringing smiles to everyone’s faces.
I start humming ‘Over The Rainbow’, a happy reminder of my 1960s childhood when I originally listened to the award-winning song from the turntable of my small record player. That version was sung by Judy Garland in 1939, from the musical fantasy, ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, a favourite of so many. Later adaptations of the song have been numerous and varied, but I still prefer the character, Dorothy Gale’s, distinctive and ethereal voice from the film. The lyrics and melody were written in the darkest of times but conveyed hope over the coming years.
As an infant, I saw my first real rainbow embroidering the sky above a church’s pointed steeple in London. I couldn’t see the weather phenomenon straight away, but my mother persisted in pointing it out and the memory is still vivid to this day.
Since then I’ve painted and drawn them often, although it used to be tricky recalling the order of the arced bands until a primary school teacher taught us a mnemonic phrase. Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. The problem was solved.
On the same day that I spotted the cake, I visited a shop nearby selling crystals. There was one I hadn’t seen before and was instantly drawn to the small rainbow aura quartz. The purple spiked cluster shimmering with gold and prismatic hues was irresistible. It now sparkles on my bureau beside my laptop. As I tap away on the keyboard, I wonder if it’s just me, or do other people notice the colours of the rainbow as much.
Until next time.
Sue. X