This and that

The southeaster read yesterday's blog and we awoke this morning to a completely windless day (3km/hr) with wispy cloud to keep us intermittently warm and cool. I speak only on assumption, as my days are currently spent in a communal office with no windows or airconditioning and I could as well be in Timbuktu as Claremont. A brief jaunt around the office block to wake myself up at lunchtime revealed that there had been no change in the weather since setting out from the Far South, and the home run was more of the same.

After a quick rush around with chores - bring in the washing, feed the birds, take chicken out of the deep freeze and cook dinner, water the garden and iron tomorrow's blouse - I settled before the computer to put in a few extra hours (5 to be exact) of work on tax legislation in South Africa. The evening is by far the best time of day for me - I would rather start work at lunchtime and leave at 7, I am beginning to suspect.

A small flock of flamingos were in the Kom when I drove past this morning, a welcome and always cheering sight, their squabbling sounding like a bunch of grumpy old men as they sort out the pecking (or rather, dredging) order in the shallows. They are very elegant in flight, with long outstretched necks perfectly balanced by equally long legs at the other end, and it's a real treat to see them coming in to land. They seem to be quite nocturnal in their movements, arriving and departing at all hours of the night more than in the daytime.

Sundown brought us yet another spectacular Kommetjie sunset - we have been very spoiled for choice this year, with every evening's cloud formations trying to outdo the day before in terms of intensity of colour and crepuscular rays - there have been more Hallelujah sunsets of late than I can ever remember. I think nature is trying to catch our attention and let us know that we are not focusing on the important things in life!