Thunderstorm

We're having a spot of thunder and lightning over Cape Town at the moment. Those who live in Johannesburg or Durban will scoff at those words. Our storms bear little resemblance to the massive electrical displays over the Highveld and the Drakensberg, but nevertheless they can still be impressive when directly overhead.

The day started with scattered clouds and a gentle south east mist climbing over the mountains of the Peninsula. By mid-afternoon, purple-black sheets covered the sky from north to south and stretched out over the Atlantic Ocean. A distant rumbling gave the first lightning bolt away, and my little dog began to tremble. I rushed for the rescue remedy and dribbled a drop or two onto her inner ear to calm her nerves and she scuttled away to weather the storm under a cupboard.

The lightning is quite infrequent but definitely coming closer. At first I counted 50 seconds between the flash and the thunder, but as I write, a flash appeared in my peripheral vision and the count was only 10 seconds. Weird and wonderful shapes and colours are developing in the sky above us and as I take these pictures, a flash bursts across the sky, too quick to capture, and a strong wind blows my way as if the air has been pushed away by the lightning. The sun has dipped below the edge of the cloud, casting a surreal golden light across the landscape, and a flash suddenly seems to be outside the window! Should I be typing on my notebook? Another flash, they are coming closer and more frequently. I'll be mad as a snake if I get zapped!

Definitely getting closer, the last one shook the house. I'll switch off now and go outside and enjoy it!