Cloud formations as they sweep over mountains are, for me, the most fascinating. Table Mountain has its own special way of dealing with the clouds which come on the south-east wind. They run along the top and fall over the edge towards the city, disappearing about halfway down and giving the mountain its famous 'tablecloth'. When the mountain which looms over Fish Hoek is covered in cloud, you know it is a Black Southeaster and the beach won't be worth going to that day. And the cloud which forms over Chapman's Peak in the same conditions looks like an upturned saucer, so you get a pretty good idea of the weather from clouds over the Peninsula mountain chain.
The shapes formed by clouds provide an endless source of interest and entertainment. When I was young, I remember sitting on a garden wall with my friend, Jo, watching a bank of clouds on the horizon at sunset, and we saw the whole of the Battle of Jericho (imaginatively assisted by the fact that we were both singing the song about that at the school concert) unfolding as the clouds gathered and dissipated. If she reads this, I am sure she will remember!
And of course, their main purpose is to enable us to enjoy the passing of day into night to the greatest degree possible. I can't imagine anyone not being awed by the incredible sunsets that we experience down here at the bottom of Africa.
Below is a small selection of some of my favourite cloud pictures. Enjoy!
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