The Gale and the Night.

The gale and the Shire night made a pleasant combination. Of particular note was the sight of clouds racing across the moon, which I always think has something nicely gothic about it. The first horror film I saw even before I was officially old enough to watch horror films was Hammer’s The Gorgon, and the image I most remember from it was the sight of clouds racing across the moon. It became, for me, the principle image of the gothic style.

And then there was the untended growth at the near end of Church Lane, which squeaked and grunted and growled as though there was something moving among it, something other than the wind, that is. (I forgot to take the grapes!)

On a more prosaic note, I’ve said before that the great benefit of scattered, moving clouds at night is that they add the third dimension to the sky in a way you never see during daylight. It’s all about levels: clouds at the lowest level, moon in the middle ground, and stars far away. It takes the cosmos off the celestial canvas and puts us in our place.

Early shower tonight. Did I mention that I have a call booked to New York at midnight? Hey…