Prediction is three days of rain and radar obligingly shows eastern end of the Mediterranean full of blue precipitation blobs. Rain mixed with sunny bits which leads to a rainbow in the Mediterranean. The sea itself a fascinating mix of colours with a deep blue section and to the east of it silver grey. Which raises the question of why the sea is the colour or colours it is. Googled answers are as many and bizarre as the Lewis Carroll poem:
The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'
Blue sea, say some sources, is simply a reflection of blue sky. But many others heap scorn on that suggestion, though not all for the same reason. And indeed the usual deep sapphire of the Med is much darker than the daytime sky ever is, so with or without reflection that explanation seems unlikely. The saddest reason given is that the Mediterranean is lacking the nutrients that lead to plant growth and muddy the waters. But really - on some days though not others, and today to the west of our place but not to the east?
And this is the Mediterranean of Homer, with his confusing references to the wine-dark sea. Many improbable explanations for that one as well, including unconvincing suggestions that ancient Greeks were unable to see the colour blue. Or that they had no word for it (except they did). Not really clarified by more than one writer insisting that a more accurate translation would be “wine face sea”.
But watching the changing colours from the vantage point of our flat a continuing delight.
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