Curious clouds, serene sunrises, sensational sunsets, radiant rainbows, fabulous fog, mystical mountain mist and spectacular storms. I love Portuguese sky art. I have a huge fascination with clouds. I am in awe of the different cloud formations each day and have come to the conclusion that I am officially a cloud spotter. I never knew that there is a proper name for cloud lovers: Nephophilia (A person who loves clouds; love of clouds; fondness or obsession of clouds. I am definitely a Nephophile. There is also The cloud appreciation society! In todays society we all spend so much time on electronic gadgets. One of the reasons that I relocated to Portugal was to lead a calmer, less stressful and simple lifestyle. One of my favourite things to do is to go for a long walk and take photos of nature, especially clouds in the sky. I find it so therapeutic and soothing for my soul. If I’m feeling anxious or stressed about anything my cloud therapy instantly calms my mind and body. I challenge you all to put your phones and laptops down for an afternoon and go and gaze at some clouds. You don’t even have to go for a walk just step outside your front door. Some people love bird spotting or train spotting but for me it will always be cloud spotting. It’s a simple pleasure which brings me much joy.

Apparently there are different types of clouds including: cirrus, stratus, cumulus, nimbus cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, and cumulonimbus clouds. I adore the cumulus clouds which look like fluffy, white cotton balls in the sky. They are beautiful in sunsets, and their varying sizes and shapes can make them fun to observe. I even love viewing the clouds on a grey day when they appear more dramatic.

I am still amazed at the beautiful sunsets I view from my balcony and garden each evening. I’m a late riser so it’s not likely I will catch a sunrise anytime soon (ha ha). The sunsets are awesome and every one is slightly different. I can’t wait until we can venture out again as I am desperate to sit on a beach and capture a beautiful sunset. This post is a photo gallery of all my Sky Art from Portugal. I hope you enjoy these magical moments as much as I do.

All these photos were taken on my old iphone with the exception of the lightening photos which hubby took on his Android phone whilst I hid under the duvet (ha ha). No photo shop, filters or editing at all!

Clouds

Sunsets

Sun

Thunder and lightening storms

Rainbows

Final comments

Viewing these photos makes me happy and sad. I am happy that I made these memories and got to view such fantastic sky art but I am sad that we are in lockdown and I cannot venture out to see such beauty. Fingers crossed that I will be able to go cloud spotting soon. Quite a few of these photos were actually taken from my garden so I am lucky to have an open space and fresh air to enjoy sky art from my very own haven.

UPDATE

I couldn’t help myself, I had to add a few more photos as today the sun set behind huge clouds and it was so dramatic!