May 2025

Digital painting of a cloudy sky, the top two thirds of which are dark grey, long clouds clumped together into one. There are wispy, hair-like bits of cloud detaching at the bottom. The lower third is a very pale blue, off-white clouds obscuring it.

May 2nd

We report while we wait for something to happen: everything is pointing to a thunderstorm - the barometer, those clouds that look like cumulonimbus, the swallows brushing the pavement. Most of all, the stillness in the chilly, dank air that raises hairs on the back of our neck.

Digital painting of a bright blue sky, mostly covered in semi-translucent clouds of various sizes with sharp edges, all somewhat connected together.

May 1st

We report: we think there is a layer of the sky breaking into shards, and we can only hope the pieces don't fall on top of our head. As we keep watching, however, they seem to spread out instead, and start forming a single cloud spanning the whole sky. We have nothing to fear.

Digital painting of a sunset sky, a gradient of a deep blue to a bright orange, with long wisps of red and pink clouds sprawled across the sky.

May 4th

We report: the first few days of May happened like a drawn-out sigh, a spill of warmth and light. Spring is now rolling out at full speed, and we remember now how hungry green can be, crawling onto pavements and walls and trees. The sunset seems a weak attempt at stopping it.

Digital painting of a twilight sky, a pale blue mostly covered in a large dark blue cloud, curling in towards the left-hand side of the frame. In the bottom left corner, a waxing moon crescent glows.

May 3rd

We report: we have seen the slim crescent of the moon during daytime this week, always for a few seconds while we were looking for something else in the sky. To see it glow in the twilight hours moves something in our chest, and we step back to get a better look at it.

Digital painting of a bright blue sky filled with translucent white clouds. There are tight, wavy patterns running through the clouds.

May 5th

We report in the mid-afternoon: the sky is at its bluest, and the sun is at its brightest, yet we feel something cool in the breeze. It has been a warm spring so far, and we now realise how fast we got used to the mild temperatures. We long for the jacket we left in the car.

Digital painting of a partly cloudy night sky, a pale blue, full of stars where it is clear, and the clouds are dark blue, fuzzy at their edges.

May 7th

We report: we know the moon is somewhere up there, busy getting rounder, but we can only tell because of how bright this night is. We can just about find our way, with only minimal tripping on roots. It has not rained in a little while here, and it smells like pine and dust.

Digital painting of a rainy scene, a field of grass and a line of trees, the top of them bathed in golden light. The sky is cloudy but bright, the same yellow light creating contrast, a very small bit of blue visible in a corner.

May 6th

We report rainbow weather: a spring shower is meeting the course of the sun, and it is difficult to see much of anything between the rain and the light in our eyes. The rain is falling harder than we had expected, but the sun is also shining brighter, loud in a different way.

Digital painting of a cloudy night sky, a dark blue-purple tint, with the full moon showing through, giving off a slightly golden glow.

May 11th

We report: a night such as this one, when we fell asleep to the sound of beating rain on the roof, we would not have anticipated the moon to be present. As it were, it was there almost through the night, a presence unaffected by the elements, highlighting the rain with its rays.

Digital painting of some voluminous, cauliflower-like clouds caught in dramatic, red and orange lighting.

May 8th

We report in the late evening: it is all a bit much. The wind is strong and blowing from an unusual direction, the clouds are expanding to monstrous proportions, and the light feels apocalyptic in nature. When it starts raining, it seems like an appropriate climax to the sunset.

Digital painting of a bright blue sky, the sun just out of frame, covered by clouds with jagged edges. Sun rays clearly appear from that corner, spanning the whole sky. The clouds glow with sunshine.

May 9th

We report: so it goes that we find ourselves again staring at the brightest source of light we could possibly find. We do this with the high hopes of finding a halo, or any type of iridescence; we are fully aware that if it is there, we will likely not see it with the naked eye.

Digital painting of a countryside landscape, a wide expanse of tall grass, a line of trees and a few houses. The bright blue sky is filled with towering white and grey clouds, and peppered with smaller clouds every which way.

May 21st

We report: after many tribulations, we are confident that this is planet Earth - what with the sky, the grass, the bearable temperature, and the breathable air. We feel smaller than ever before under these billowing columns of steam. Our expert did not miss their pollen allergy.

Digital painting of an overcast sky, with small gaps between some of the clouds letting a pale blue show through. The clouds are all shades from white to a dark blue-grey. There is a swift flying in the middle of the frame.

May 10th

We report under a busy sky: the swifts are flying at eye level, smooth, low arcs to catch pollen beetles and flies. There is warmth suspended in the air, but each gust of wind shakes it; we feel the crisp humidity against our cheeks. Somewhere in the low grass, crickets chirp.

Digital painting of a sunset sky: dark blue grey swathes of clouds framing a stripe of pastel pink, with a few smaller clouds scattered across the frame.

May 12th

We report while the last lights of sunset go out: even on such an overcast day, we notice how bright the evenings of mid-spring are. It has rained a lot today, the air smells like a million different things, and the birds are singing louder than ever. The pink lingers in the sky.

Digital painting of a bright blue sky filled with wispy white clouds. Just out of frame, the sun shines brightly, creating subtle iridescence over the ice clouds.

May 13th

We report: just east of the sun, the light is scattering endlessly, crossing through the spectrum several times over. We live in that space for a moment, somewhere between indigo and cyan, or orange and magenta. The diffraction is still happening on our eyelids when we blink.

Digital painting of a coastal landscape, a couple of small houses lost among trees. The sky is full of grey clouds, and the sea is calm, but a similar grey.

May 14th

We report while the rain is starting to drown out our conversation with our expert: out on the seafront, there is promise for more of the same. The clouds all seem on the verge of giving, wave after wave of heavy clouds. The millions of raindrops have turned the sea matte.

Digital painting of a pre-dawn landscape, misty hills as far as the eye can see, a blue tint washing over everything. There are a few buildings in the distance, with faint lights. In the foreground, tall grass and wild carrot flowers.

May 15th

We report: the mist is keeping us close to Earth this morning. Down here in marshy lands, the unknowable, hungry, peaty soil seems to want us whole, engulfing each of our steps. The fog rolls over us in absolute silence. Our eyelids threaten to cede to gravity in semi-darkness.

Digital painting of an overcast sunrise sky, dark blue and purple clouds with bright red and pink highlights on their underbelly. In the lower right corner, a small, bright bit of clear sky is visible.

May 16th

We report in the not quite bright, but certainly early morning: over the harbour, the sky actually seems to be darkening instead of brightening. We hear the wind growing stronger in the clinking of the sailboat masts, the agitation of the gulls. We can smell nothing but brine.

Digital painting of some wispy, white cirrus in a bright blue sky, describing neat arabesques akin to calligraphic strokes.

May 17th

We report: we are witnessing the formation of the crispest, purest cirrus that we have ever seen. Their shapes are full of intent, bold leaps into the heights of the troposphere. As they keep developing, we almost think we hear a sharp, crystalline hiss when they collide.

Digital painting of an overcast sky, pale grey-white in the background, surrounded by fuzzy dark grey-blue clouds on all sides.

May 18th

We report a little while after sunrise, and the clouds are carefully closing in on every last bit of clear sky. Enough of sunshine for today, they tell us, now we shall meet darkness once again. While we listen, we can see the sky opening up on the other side of the horizon.

Digital painting of a black night sky, full to the brim with stars of various colours and sizes. There is a glowing, light blue spiral galaxy visible in the centre left of the frame.

May 19th

We report: we got very, very lost at some point tonight. We took a couple of wrong rights, and certainly could have used a map or two along the way. We now find ourselves very far from home; we shall hope for our own safe return. We only need to find the correct north star.

Digital painting of a sunrise on Mars: the small sun casts a bright blue glow in a faintly orange sky, above some brown mountains.

May 20th

We report as the sun rises from a below freezing night: we are certain that we found the right solar system, but we are not so sure about the planet. The sun is tiny and cold, and the sky is strange and empty. Our expert is taking a close look at the dust that covers everything.

Digital painting of an overcast sky filled with contrast, dark greys in the background, and a handful of brightly lit, fuzzy clouds in the foreground.

May 22nd

We report while the evening is beginning to burn the afternoon light away: there is unshed rain in the shadows of the sky, and there are motes of dust taking all the sunshine for themselves. It is one of those decisive moments of the day when everything shifts so much faster.

Digital painting of a skyline at dusk, dark buildings dotted with many colourful lights. The sky is a dark blue, with faint yellow light above the horizon. There are a few long, thin, dark clouds stretching across the frame.

May 23rd

We report: while the sun was setting, we watched as lights blinked on in the distance. We and everyone else trying to prolong the day, stretch it a little further, though the light was gone. We tried to hold off on our own lights til our eyes stung from squinting in the dark.

Digital painting of a sunrise sky filled with pastel colours, blue and purple with wispy pink clouds sprawled across the frame.

May 24th

We report as we are waking up for the third time this morning: there is a couple of magpies loudly bickering in a tree nearby, in the manner that befits them. The cackling and the strange whirring sounds have been piercing through our dreams every time we fall back asleep.

Digital painting of a bright blue sky covered in thin, translucent, wavy clouds, as well as a few brighter cumulus. A single white bird is flying there.

May 25th

We report: it is windy like it has not been in a long while, and now that all the trees are full of leaves, their rustling sounds like a clamour. The wind shear is streaking through the clouds in a confusing pattern, and the sunshine wavers with the movement of the branches.

Digital painting of an overcast sky, rows of massive dark blue-grey clouds, contrasting with the bright light beneath.

May 26th

We report after the rain has passed: we watch the clouds move on, and we understand the volume of water that just hammered the windows a little bit better. The glass panes are still blurry with beads of rain, and there is a steady stream running in the gutters.

Digital painting of a dark, cloudy sky at dusk, dark blue-grey clouds in the twilight with a line of pastel yellow light piercing underneath. There is a small opening in the cloud cover on the right-hand side of the frame.

May 27th

We report: we are headed for a dark, cloudy night under the new moon. The birds are slowly quieting, and the wind is dying down to a whisper. The humidity that has built over the past few days has our head retreating between our shoulders. We get startled by a passing train.

Digital painting of a sunset sky, pastel blue with orange streaks of cirrus, the horizon lightly veiled with darker clouds. There are dark silhouettes of trees, houses and power lines there.

May 28th

We report in the brittle sunset light: we watch the clock in the evening lately. With only a few days left in May, we pay extra attention to how much sunlight we get, and like a patient stretch, we do see the minutes add up. Just a little bit more day, every day.

May 29th

We report: over the mountains, the clouds march forever, snagging on the tops, filing them down with the use of rain and time. It is the oldest story that clouds can tell, and it has not ended yet. We do our part by retracing the steps that others have walked before us.

Digital painting of a stormy sky, large grey clouds creating ominous, bubbly formations.

May 30th

We report: the sky is swelling with dark clouds, ones that feed on the humidity and the thick warmth that has been brewing through the afternoon. No matter how fast we walk, we cannot seem to get away from the shadows of the developing storm. It is not raining yet.

Digital painting of some red sprites, small, red, fluorescent bursts of lightning in the blue, starry sky. There are faint clouds in the bottom third of the frame.

May 31st

We report: in the small hours of the morning, we caught a few fairies dancing far above the storm. They immediately hid from view again, obviously self-conscious of our noticing them. Our expert whispered about transient luminous events, as though afraid of spooking them away.

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