Blinded By The Clouds

This morning - well, late morning as we were "delayed due to late incoming aircraft" - I had a strange experience.

Looking out of plane windows is something I've done quite a lot over the years. And, doing that, I have been blinded by sunlight, enjoyed mountain vistas, being unable to see anything but wet cotton - even having to put up with a blessedly out-of-focus reflection of my own face in the window when it's been pitch black on the outside.

But today I was blinded by the clouds.

Honestly. Absolutely true.

It was probably caused by the plane being very close to breaking out of the cloud cover into the brilliant sunshine so often found above the clouds. But the clouds were just so radiant, brilliant, so shining white that I had to shut my eyes, open them again, blink a few times and even then the small light-thingies remained dancing in front of my eyes for the next 10 seconds.

A wall of light. Beautiful. And startling in its differentness.