Lightning Strikes

Some days I wonder what I'm doing living halfway across the world from the majority of my family and friends. but then there are days like today...

Friday, 5 pm - and I was out the door today. After all, I've already resigned and only have a few weeks left of work (did you know you have to give 4 weeks notice here? Unbelievable - and unbelievably painful.... ) so no impetus to put in the long hours. Anyway, it'd been a bit of a scorcher today - 30 degrees in the city and over 40 degrees in the Western suburbs - and I was looking forward to a hopefully breezy ferry ride home .

So first in line meant I got my favourite seat on the ferry - outside on the bench on the side the you can see the Heads from. (To enter Sydney Harbour you have to pass between North and South Head to get to Circular Quay (the city). The Manly ferry route is the only one that passes the Heads. (www.sydney-australia.biz/maps/harbour-map.html for those who like pictures))

As we were pulling away from the Quay - the clouds were rolling in. Nothing like ferrying into blue sky while leaving the angry, roiling clouds behind. (Hmmm, seems nature likes to mirror what's going on in my life....) The clouds themselves were truly amazing. They had an ominous quality to them, yet they were a fluffy dark grey - not what you'd expect for an approaching storm.

Just as we passed by the Sydney Opera house, the first strike of lightning lit up the city skyline south of us. I'd never seen anything like it. The sun was shining to the North while the storm was gathering strength to the South. The lightning would flash - but because the sky was already partially lit due to the sun, the flash almost echoed off the clouds and gave a surreal light all around us. Almost felt as though you were in the eye of the storm, yet were safely on the outskirts watching it.

You could pick out the columns of rain from the clouds over the city - the storm was that close - the lightning jags seemed only metres away. Yet not a drop of rain fell near me. It really was quite beautiful - and I got to watch it all from the ferry in the middle of the harbour.

I love the ferry. Every trip is a little different. So far, I've ridden through storms, huge swells that I thought would make the ferry capsize, calm waters where I saw penguins and I've even ridden right through the middle of rainbows. (Sorry to say, there is no pot of gold..) But the best ferry ride of all was when... oh wait, I think I'll save that one for later.