As is often the case in autumn, the projection of Slangkop into the Atlantic causes our little village to be swathed in sea mist, while not even a kilometre away the sun is shining. Unless we leave Kommetjie to do some shopping, we are unaware that we are the only place in the fog. Today it is especially welcome, as I needed to do the seasonal feeding of the garden - this entails throwing trowels of chicken manure in every direction as I wheel the wheelbarrow round the garden. Not exactly onerous, but by the end of the exercise I am covered in a fine powder and smell like the bottom of a chicken coop. It tends to collect under the nails as well. The fog means there is no wind, so at least I am not eating it as well! We are anticipating a few millimetres of rain over the next few days, so that should give it a little bit of a watering and not burn the plants. Time will tell.
Yesterday our 5000 litre water tank arrived, on the back of a truck driven by a rotund lady, suffering from the heat and covered in a fair amount of dust. She chattered away as she unclipped the ropes and pushed this immense plastic structure off the loadbed, mopping herself frequently with a pull of her t-shirt, and we then pushed it into a corner, where it will stay for who knows how many years until we actually find a permanent place under a gutter! Unbelievably, it only weighs 65kg, somewhat less than me. I gave her a light squirt-down with the garden hose before she set off for her next destination, almost to Hermanus.
The only way to get the tank to the back of the house will be by moving a collection of planks and wooden strips that have been there for 30 years. This will be the third time they have been rearranged but not utilised. What can I say? A plumber's tap drips.
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