The air

Yesterday every time I went out into the garden the air was different:

10am. This was just after I got up. The air was cool and fresh. The sun was shining gently.

11am. A shower of rain was falling, the light raindrops bouncing off the plants. An earthy smell filled the air. A single dark cloud crossed the grey sky.

12 noon. Hot sun, all the wet paths suddenly dry. Intense humidity, almost unbearable, making it difficult to breathe easily. The birdsong loud and piercing.

1 pm. Just before lunch. Warm sunshine mixed with clouds. The air fragrant with the scent of the flowering shrubs (Osmanthus burkwoodii).

2pm. Incredible balmy feel to the air, warm and fresh and smelling of hyacinths. Both the moon and the sun clearly visible in the sky. Sound of doves.

3pm. After my short sleep. Suddenly cold, the air damp. It had been raining again.

4pm. Warm again, but a drizzling sort of rain still falling (a rain that seemed to evaporate before touching any surface).

5pm. Dry and cool. A stiff wind blowing. Smell of fresh vegetation.

6pm. Cold and overcast. Magpies clattering over the farmyard. Smell of wet grass when I walked along the lane.