The clip above is from one of my favorite movies, Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero. The setup is that our hero Mack, played by Peter Rieger, is a Texas oil company representative, sent to Scotland to arrange for the purchase of a stretch of coastline where they can build an oil terminal. But he also has a special assignment from his eccentric boss, Mr. Happer (Burt Lancaster). Happer, a passionate amateur astronomer, wants Mack to watch the sky, in the hope he can find an undiscovered comet he can name after himself. However, Mack, along with his Scottish escort Jimmy (Peter Capaldi, later to be Doctor Who), is growing increasingly enchanted by the scenery and the local folk – who are, for their own part, simply delighted to sell their property off for a pile of American money.

The clip is highlighted by the appearance of the aurora borealis. I had hopes of seeing it myself last night. The previous night – Tuesday – there was (as you’re probably aware) a spate of sightings. People from all over the country were posting pictures of it on Facebook. I went out onto my back porch to look for myself, but saw nothing. My back yard isn’t a great spot for aurora hunting – it faces north, but there are tall houses and trees that way. Also quite a lot of light pollution.

It troubled me that I’d missed the lights. I know I’ve seen them once before – sometime around 1972 in northern Minnesota. I might have seen them in Alaska the summer before that, or in Norway the year I took a cruise above the Arctic Circle. But summer isn’t the best time for northern lights, so maybe my not remembering isn’t just because of aging brain cells.

Anyway, I thought about it overnight. And yesterday, the word was that the lights might be even more spectacular. Viewing after 9:00 p.m. was recommended. “I shall get in my car and drive north to see them,” I decided.

And I did that. I drove up to Brooklyn Center, and parked in the Walmart lot. It was still an urban location, granted, but people further south had posted aurora photos already that night.

But for me, nothing. Nada. Niente. (That’s a quote from Local Hero, by the way.) I sat around for about half an hour. No show.

I comfort myself with the fact that I tried. I stayed up late and delayed my bedtime. I drove in the dark (always a challenge when you’re getting on in years) and waited in patience. Just to see something beautiful.

I’m old, but I’m not quite dead. Apparently.