Ok, brief interlude from our ramblings on our trip to Florida. August usually brings the late afternoon storms - bit of thunder and lightning, and plenty of rain, which the locals crave as the earth needs it. We have just reurned from Venice, about 30 miles up the road and this one today started at about 4:30pm and it rained, and rained AND RAINED. The thunder was loud, hmm, very loud and the lightning was spectacular.... forget about theme park firework displays, this was the biz.... !I rather bravely stood out on the pool deck to film it - I say bravely as standing in a few inches of water, out in the open in what can only be described as God's Thunder, Lightning and Rain Test Zone is perhaps not the smartest thing to do - heck, even the golfers had scurried off in their golf carts back to the club-house for a well-deserved cold beverage, ready to recount tales of "some damned fool they'd spotted waving a camera about....!" They know we're Brits - we've got the flag up on the posts!
The footage is not brilliant but you'll get the drift. The loud thunderclap at 01.02 actually made me jump which is why the camera shakes. I'm not prone to bothering about such noises usually but this was a particularly long, loud and wet storm and was right over the top of us. The joy is, it clears up after an hour or so and is as hot as hell again...!
Oh, and do come to this site again, there's much to go the blog between arriving in Orlando and today's entry... not least I realise my ambition to pilot a "Shuttle" and experience a launch as an "astronaut". For those who know me may recall, one of my childhood dreams was to become an astronaut. I even applied to NASA - got turned down as I had no flying experience and was not a US Navy Marine aviator. The fact I was only 11 years old at the time may also have had a slight influence in the decision by NASA but I hold no grudges. This opportunity was amazing fun, very real and thoroughly awesome to use the oft-overused adjective! I was joined at the controls by Rebecca who was the Flight Commander for the launch and journey to Mars!
Anyway, play the film below for the thunder storm, and come back to read our musings later!
