A RAINY NIGHT

All day the sky has threatened rain to come, but although the sky was dark and portentous the weather remained dry and the air still. The change came at dusk, with a steady drizzle which soaked the garden in a matter of minutes and sent our cats running for home, and a dry place before the fire.

As I write rain is falling heavily, streaming down the sloping roof outside my bedroom window, pouring into the gutters and gurgling down the drain pipe.

As this torrent hit the roof of the conservatory it makes a noise like and express train and is loud enough to cause cats to wake from their slumbers and stare stare balefully out in to the dark garden.

Now that most of the leaves have fallen I have a good view of the old church tower, lit by spot lights it seems to float above the tree tops, indistinct in it's shroud of rain.

I n the gap between the dormers sheltered from the worst of the storm I can hear a faint scratching sound, made by small birds who always roost there in bad weather. Last winter a rat managed to invade the loft and the sound of it's pattering feet almost drove the cat Twiggy to distraction.

So long as I can remain indoors I love nights like this, when I can cuddle up beside the fire or snuggle into my cosy bed and drift off to sleep listening to the sounds made by the rain.

I revel at such times in the quiet comfort of home, in sharp contrast to the wildness of a rainy night, the warm lamplight within while outside all is dark and forbidding. A cup of hot chocolate is even nicer under these circumstances, the pleasure it gives heightened by what is happening outside.

On nights such as this I do not mind being unable to sleep as there is pleasure to be gained from the sense of comfort and well being as I listen in my candlelit room to the soporific sounds of a rainy night in the countryside.

When we lived in London and my son worked all night in the city I hated bad weather as I though of him battling his way to work through the dreary streets, or working at his desk tired and with the prospect of a long journey home in the morning rush hour.

Now I can enjoy rainy nights knowing that he, like myself is safe and warm

These are small pleasures, but I am thankful for them.