Lightning Crashes.

I think I've mentioned a few times how much I love storms. If you're a new reader/lurker (come on out!) well, now you know. I love storms. My window faces a set of mountain ranges in the distance, and I always seem to get the best views of storms as they blow in towards them.

It's not uncommon for me to sit with my nose pressed against the glass, waiting to catch the perfect glimpse of lightning. Thunder doesn't frighten me, I love everything about rain (we're in the middle of a drought here, who wouldn't love rain?) but the lightning is hands down my favourite part.

Lightning is very elusive. Whenever I happen to be peering in a certain direction, a strike hits in the opposite direction. When I turn my head to look THAT way, a strike hits the very spot I was just staring at. It drives me mad! Everytime there is a storm, I always think how awesome it would be to just sit there snapping away with a camera, just hoping it's pointing in the right direction to catch an awesome lightning strike.

Last night, I went to bed early; I still am not well and I needed to be ready to go back to work Monday morning. As I went to bed, I looked out the window and saw some pretty amazing flashes in the distance; mostly sheet lightning but some forks as well. I only watched for a few minutes before lying down, but in that time I saw this fascinating strike; a real ground-toucher, so to speak. I was so impressed by it, I actually myself smiling. (Yes, I am a dork. It's true.) A second later, I was greeted with a lightning strike that looked exactly like Harry Potter's scar. I went to bed impressed, let me tell you.

Fast forward an hour or so, and that storm that was off in the distance had moved right on top of our suburb. The thunder wasn't loud at first, just low rumbles; it was the lightning that woke me. Imagine flashes so bright and so constant that it resembles someone turning your bedroom light on and off really fast. It was THAT quick and that powerful. (It was a perfect "horror movie storm", you know the scene where it's dark outside and the lightning flashes to reveal a guy walking down the street with a chainsaw? Hah!)

Of course, I got up and watched it but got quickly bored; sheet lightning isn't all THAT pretty to look at when it's covered in thick clouds. I called out to mum, ready to comment about how strange it was to have all that lightning and no thunder, and BOOM. Then came the thunder. The biggest, loudest claps I have ever heard! Ajay came in to join me, and we sat watching the storm for about ten minutes, when the lightning started to strike in forks again.

It was absolutely insane. I think the biggest storm I've seen, at least in a long while. The lightning strikes were so big, and so CLOSE, even I (who is not scared by storms at all) started to get a bit worried. Not about the lightning itself, more paranoid that it would hit something outside, like the bird aviary or the rabbits cage, and that I would come down the next morning to see a black pile of soot instead of a bunny. That kind of paranoia. Massive, massive storm. I eventually lay down and fell asleep, but the last thing I remember is flashes lighting up behind my closed eyes.

Really makes you think about how awesome Mother Nature is.

And now, the next day, here comes the rain again. It's not a "pretty" storm by any means, just grey and grumbly and miserable -  but I'm happy none the less. Here's hoping that the rain is going to the areas that need it the most.