Rainbows and Robins

“Red and yellow and pink and green, orange and purple and blue. I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too. Listen with your eyes, listen with your eyes, sing every song you see – I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing along with me…………………………………………………”

I have always been captivated by rainbows – the bright spectrum of colours, the wonderful perfectly formed arch, almost like a secret doorway inviting you into another world. The magical tales we are told as children – that there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow; and all the songs that are sung about rainbows.

Rainbows are magical to me – I always feel closer to spirit when I see a rainbow; for me rainbows are a time when angels and fairies make their presence known on earth; I find great comfort from rainbows and always feel uplifted and at peace. Luckily for me I live in a place where rainbows are abundant – sometimes almost daily. I never tire of seeing a rainbow and I was particularly thrilled to have been honoured by the visit of 2 rainbows on my birthday last week whilst I was in Oban.

I love robin redbreasts too. For me they are cheeky chappies with a lovely plumage – bright and cheerful, bringing joy especially in the gloomy winter months.

We have a robin in our garden – he makes a daily appearance in the autumn and winter months; I’m sure he’s about throughout the summer too but we see less of him then. Not long after Megan came to live with us, I noticed the robin in the garden regularly and then I realised that there were two – a smaller less colourful robin who I assume is a female. The female seems particularly partial to human company – she sits in the trees and watches our antics and hops along the garden fence and wall whenever I am out in the garden playing with Megan.

After a couple of weeks of regular visits I remembered how much my mother loved robins – she always fed the birds in her garden but robins were her favourites. I mentioned this to my sister Sarah and told her I thought Mum had come back to visit me in the form of a robin. She suggested I feed it cheese gratings – as Mum had always fed cheese to her robins.

The robin loves the cheese and on the days I have forgotten to put it out, she comes into the house to remind me. I have found her in the dining room and upstairs in one of the bedrooms; a couple of weeks ago she was sat on the breadboard in the kitchen helping herself to the crumbs on the board and on the evening of my birthday 10 days ago, as we were all sat in the dining room enjoying my birthday dinner, she flew in and sat on the carpet in the lounge looking through at us as if to say Happy Birthday to me before flying off again.

A year ago today, I was with my darling mum when she died. At her funeral we played ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ by Israel Kamakawiwo, a song Mum had heard on the radio days before she was admitted into hospital and a song she absolutely adored. Many of you who left me posts on my birthday said you were sure my mum was with me on my special day – I am in doubt whatsoever that she was.

And so, whenever I see a rainbow or a robin, I know my mum Millie has stopped by for a while to say hello.

UPDATE: The photo below was taken this morning by John - not only did a rainbow show this morning after I had published this post but the robin sat on the garden wall in front of the breakfast room for me too!