Fragile sun: Volda version
Jill wrote about suddenly seeing the church in sunlight, and the pale, pale sky. Up here the church is so close to the water level that the sun doesn't reach it at winter, so I can't match her near-religious experience of beauty that way. I had one which was perhaps a little more - ummmm - sensual?

A benefit from working at Volda College is free access to the very nice pool. I try to go swimming at least once, preferably twice a week in the winter half of the year. This morning as I arrived, me and my friend Heidi agreed that we would NOT turn the lights on. The windows face south-west, and from the pool we could see the sky change colour from a dusky blue to that fragile eggshell colour of the winter sky. Contrasted against that delicate colour was a mountain, Rotsethornet, at first a faint pink, but as the sun rose and the rays coloured the snow-covered mountainside it turned a bright, intense colour. We swam through the shadowy waters of the pool, watching this spectacular display of winter colours: warm and comfortable and all alone in that large pool, privileged and sheltered against the elements, while nature was putting on a colour-show more fantastic (and with more daring colours) than any lazer designer could imagine.

I think perhaps some night, I'll try to get Heidi to go swimming with me while we can watch nothern lights from the pool. That would be so decadent!