Looking up

What an endless source of entertainment the sky is! Every moment is different - perhaps a butterfly flutters by, or a flock of pigeons, the straggling V of sacred ibis or a pair of gulls riding the thermals high overhead. Sometimes it's a hang-glider, a gyrocopter or the cheerful multi-coloured kites that often brighten the skies over Kommetjie.

As I sit on my balcony, a Karoo prinia trills briefly on the tiniest twig on top of a tree, silhouetted against a backdrop of palest blue before swooping down to pick up a piece of fluff to line a nest. The foliage on the tree is olive green on top and grey green underneath, and the sunlight reflects off it like a mirror on this sunny early spring day.

Wispy clouds are forming over the mountains, fluffy and white, but I don't think they'll be there for long - they form and fade away as I watch. Clouds provide us, and particularly children, with endless fuel for the imagination as we see castles in the sky, dragons and angels, dogs and ducks. At sunrise and sunset, clouds provide a means for us to experience the wondrous beauty of nature's light show, as they turn from cerise to palest pink and vice versa.

On clear nights, we can gaze out into the infinite universe and marvel at our insignificance under the twinkling stars, the odd planet, myriad satellites and occasionally the International Space Station as it hurtles round the Earth every two hours or so.

I believe the sky is blue because it is a soothing colour - imagine living under an orange sky! Any time you are feeling stressed or worn out, look up into the sky and watch nature go about its business. You may see something unexpected.