Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Jet trails (not something else entirely, as originally intended)

Tuesday morning and another day off. Ah.. days without deadlines.. time to wax trite philosophical as the sun rises, turning a jet trail rosy pink......... sigh...... and it's tangent time....

Although we're on the approach/take off circle for Barajas, we rarely see jet trails up here (and I suppose I mean on the meseta rather than from from the 7th floor.) For much of the year, the planes fly over as little silver arrow heads (though I noticed EasyJet livery the other morning). No trail.

But yesterday, drifting into wakefulness under the sky (a slow, gentle transition, and not to be rushed, you understand....) I realised that I could see jet trails forming as one little arrow cruised over. And again this morning. With the sun rising later and later - and more and more slowly - each morning - at 7 or 8 a.m. the temperature is only about 16C down here, so it must be very cold up there!

From here, you can actually see the pulse as the twin plumes power out of the turbines, and how they slow and widen to look like two lengths of yarn stretched side by side: first four-ply then double knit, then merging into a single length that unravels and flattens, so that by now - 9.15 - the sky is banded from one horizon to another with trails of wispy white felt fading into the blue.

And we've got a cricket almost as long as my thumb on the wall.

And there was a pigeon here a minute ago - young and slim with dark grey plumage.

And someone started drilling downstairs about a quarter of an hour back, and the workmen have just got started in the plaza with their pneumatic drill, and I'm going to make some fresh coffee NOW!

4 comments:

nzm said...

Berlin is the place to come to if you want jet trails. I can see 2 now as I look out my narrow little window.

Last Sunday - a cloudless beautiful day - there were so many trails, that by late afternoon, they all formed into one pale white and thin cloud cover that blocked out a lot of the sun's warmth. Much like the "marine layer" which forms over Los Angeles.

I have to confess that I'm addicted to watching jet trails.

Passionate Dilettante said...

Hello! I've had to sneak in via the email notice to read this and reply - strange behaviour from my laptop, not a blogger-wobble this time. When are you going to post Iceland?! It's a wonder to me how I've ended up living in these hot countries, when the only place I wanted to visit in my early twenties was Scandiwegia. And while I have now added Aregentina (all of it) and Jordan (again)to that short list, I still wanna go North, and see whales, and fjords, and the Aurora Borealis, and costume museums, and knitwear & embroidery, and glaciers, and stay at the ice hotel and see Father Christmas too. I just thought I'd mention it.......

So, how are you?.......

I met another diver recently. I don't think there's any such thing as a boring diver.

nzm said...

We're good - in Berlin. Posting on Iceland is due to start tomorrow as I've only just finished processing the many images.

We saw whales (too far away for photos), fjords, museums and glaciers, but no Aurora - wrong time of year.

Boring divers? Never! Met some stupid ones though!

There's an image in my post today of jet trails over Berlin last Sunday - just for you!

Passionate Dilettante said...

Ah!